Angel in the Dark
by DemonicAngel01
Summary: Naruto Uzumaki is six years old and lives a lonely life. He suffers a lot for such a small child but the misery ends soon when a a mysterious figure enters his life and brings the warmth and comfort that Naruto has always needed.
1. Mysterious Lady

**UPDATE: Okay so I'm reading over my story, and I noticed how much I hated how I wrote. This was my very first fanfic so I won't be so hard on myself buuut there are a couple of changes I'll be making to chapters 1 through 5 or 6-ish, so I just wanted to let you know.**

**Everyone else who is a new reader, just ignore that above and keep reading. :)**

**—Demonic Angel—**

**DISCLAIMER: Don't own nada. **

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><p><strong>Chapter 1: Mysterious Lady<strong>

Naruto Uzumaki watched the sun set on the horizon, a sign that the day was almost over. He was sitting on the swings beside Shikamaru and Choji, feeling lonelier as each kid in the park left one by one, running off to their parents, to their safety and their comfort. He longed for that feeling but pushed that aside and brought a smile upon his face as he turned toward Shikamaru and Choji.

"Hey, do you guys wanna go to Ichiraku's?"

Shikamaru eyed him lazily and shook his head, "We can't today, it's late and my dad's almost here."

Naruto smile faded slightly but he instantly recovered giving them a big grin, "That's okay. Maybe tomorrow?"

"I don't think I can," he shrugged. "Its ma's birthday."

"Shikamaru! Choji! C'mon kiddos, time to go," Shukaku called.

"See ya Naruto."

"Bye guys…"

They were the last to go, leaving the park empty. Naruto tried to smile as he waved goodbye to his friends as they progressed towards their parents, the ache in his heart increasing in size, the sun now barely above the horizon. He couldn't keep it in any longer; the tears started spilling out. These emotions that kept welling up within him seemed to become more and more frequent. He bowed his head, his yellow hair, pale under the gloomy sky, falling forward, covering his face as he tried to wipe away the thick droplets, eventually giving up after a while and letting them glide down his dampened cheeks. _It just wasn't fair. Another day he was left alone. He had no one. And no one wanted him._

A small breeze steered his way, sending shivers up Naruto's spine as another presence graced the park, drifting towards Naruto. He remained seated on the swings, unaware of his surroundings and the person now standing before him.

She bent her knees until her face was at level with his. The concern in her eyes evident as she gently placed her finger under Naruto's chin and tilted his head up. The slight touch startled said boy who abruptly snapped his head up only to stare back into a pair of eyes the same shade of blue as his own. She smiled at him, "Are you Naruto?"

Her voice was very soft, Naruto noticed. Soft _and kind_. That came as a surprise to him. And then he remembered she had just asked him a question. Quickly wiping his tears away with the sleeve of his shirt, he replied. "Umm, y-yeah, I'm Naruto."

The rims of her lips curved upward, her eyes crinkling. "That's good to hear, I've been searching for you for a while."

Searching for me? He tried to recall if he had done anything wrong recently. Nothing came to mind, well except for the lovely paint job he had given to one of the street merchants who spoke rough to him… but in his defense, the guy totally deserved it.

"Did… did the Hokage send you?" He usually did send for someone to scold him for his daily pranks.

"Yes, he has."

Oh no, he was in trouble. Again. Before he knew it, excuses fell out of his mouth. "I promise I didn't do anything! I swear, I was just be—" he sputtered, but was cut off.

"Naruto, you're not in trouble."

He paused, blinking back at her with large confused eyes. "I'm… not?"

She laughed, amused. "No, dear child."

"Oh?" If it wasn't because he was in trouble, then what…

"Well, how should I put this…I'm your new caretaker."

The woman watched his expression change, disoriented by the sudden events. "My new… um what?"

"Caretaker. I'll be taking care of you from now on," she repeated, "that is, if you want me to."

Naruto stopped and considered it a moment. This was really random and unexpected. What if this was some evil plan everyone was a part of just to get back at him for all those pranks he pulled. He glimpsed up at the strange lady, who was waiting patiently for his answer. He gave her another look before confirming his decision. Well, she looked really nice and he had nothing to lose either way so he might as well go with it and hope for the best. Besides, he was probably not going to get another offer like this where someone was actually willing to take care of him.

He nodded. "Okay."

His acceptance brought a pleasant smile to her face. "I'm glad to hear that. How about we go eat together so we can talk some more and you can ask me whatever questions you have."

Naruto replied with another nod, still consumed in his thoughts. It remained silent for half their walk until the young boy's shyness began to wilt away and curiosity overtook him.

"Um... where are we going?" he asked her.

"That depends on what you like, what do you usually eat sweetheart?" she asked gently, her melodic voice never rising above a moderate volume.

This is where he definitely knew what to say. He gave her a big grin, "Ramen! It's the bestest food ever! Can we go to Ichiraku's please?"

Kurai stopped and bent down to sit on her ankles and held Naruto's arms. She gave him one look over and knew that when he said ramen, he meant it, and that was probably the only thing he ate too. She let out a sigh and wondered who took care of him because they weren't doing a very good job of feeding him. His clothes hung loosely on him and his frame was thin and small. This boy needed a large meal to add some meat on to his bony figure.

"How about we go to this one restaurant I know of, I'm sure you would love it and afterwards, if you are still hungry, I'll take you to Ichiraku's too. Is that alright?"

Naruto thought about it for a minute before frowning. "I can't… I don't… I don't have enough money." He knew money wasn't only the problem, but the top concern was how everyone gave him a callous look wherever he went and they wouldn't let him even near their stores. But he couldn't tell her that. She would have thought that there was something wrong with him too and stay away from him just like all the other grown-ups and a lot of the kids; and being a small six-year-old boy, that was what first came into his mind as an excuse to cover up for that.

She let out another sigh and said, "Naruto, you don't have to worry about money anymore, I'm buying it for you, whatever you wish to eat, you don't have to trouble yourself over something as small as that."

She saw how he still looked uncomfortable and quickly deduced that money was perhaps not the issue. Her heart felt melancholy for whatever was bothering the boy and though she wished for him to consume something other than ramen, she had to bring that sweet smile upon his face again.

"Actually Naruto, I just realized that that restaurant is closed today, I had completely forgotten so I guess we'll just being going to Ichiraku's after all!"

The moment she mentioned Ichiraku's, his smile burst back and she felt relieved and content on the inside. She was going to have to uncover the cause to the boy's uncomfortable behavior earlier. But for now she stood up and took his hand once more, walking gracefully towards Ichiraku's.

When they arrived, she saw Teuchi and Ayame; it had been a while since she had been here. Neither probably remember, Teuchi was just starting his business a few months before she left and Ayame was a year younger than her.

Naruto ran up towards the old man and ordered one bowl of Miso-ramen. He barely had any money left and that was all he could afford at the moment. The part about this lady being his caretaker still hadn't settled in yet and his habit of fending for himself obviously wasn't going to part with him all the sudden. He heard the beautiful lady sit beside him as she said, "Naruto, didn't I say I would pay for you? You can have more than one bowl you know."

Naruto didn't want her to pay for him, as nice as she was being to him, he still couldn't take in the fact that someone might actually care for him. He thought this might just be a trick and he wasn't going to fall for it. He had been hurt far too much in his short life, and there weren't many people he could trust.

"I know, but it's okay, I don't want anymore," he said. She could tell he was trying to convince her, but the lie was clear as day. Obviously he was still suspicious of her, for some reason. She looked at Naruto with his one bowl, and stood up making quick eye contact with Teuchi, who had been staring at her with curious expression this whole while.

"If you are sure, Naruto. I'll be right back."

She walked out of the ramen shop and went towards the back, and she saw Teuchi come out. She slid her hand into her long dark coat and pulled out a bundle of cash. Stretching her arm, she brought forth the money and looked at Teuchi whose eyes had widened from the amount.

"This…?" he began.

"Please take this. I can tell that Naruto comes here often and I would really be grateful if you could let him have all the ramen he wants for the time being without having to pay."

He took the money hesitantly. "You'll have to forgive me for my caution, I just haven't met anyone so freely giving, especially to that boy. But of course, I can do that." He didn't question her motives or ask the reason for her benevolence and she appreciated that. She turned around and started to walk back, when she heard Teuchi stop her with a question.

"If I may ask Miss, what is your name?"

She stopped for a moment, and stood still. Without turning around she replied slowly and so very softly that Teuchi remained uncertain if he had heard her correctly.

"My name is Kurai.

"Kurai… Namikaze."

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><p><strong>There you have it, the very first chapter!<strong>

**If anyone of you are wondering what Kurai looks like, she is the image set for this fanfic up at the top of the page, left corner. Took me ages to find that lol.**

**Well, leave me with your thoughts! **

**Till next time. **


	2. Lonely

**Ladies, Gentlemen, and others! I present you with Chapter 2!**

**Being my first story, it is kind of short, please don't mind, I'm still trying to get the hang of it! But not to worry, I promise a much longer Chapter 3! **

**SO, Kurai Namikaze… surprised? Not surprised? **

**Only one thing to do, REVIEW!**

—**DemonicAngel—**

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own Naruto on this planet, but once my eyes close, and I enter a dreamer's world, he belongs to me. **

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><p><strong>Chapter 2<strong>

**Lonely**

After Kurai's talk with Teuchi, he told Naruto that 'it's on the house' and Naruto ate over five bowls, just as Kurai had expected him to do. They soon left and Naruto had not suspected Kurai of being the reason behind the free meals but he had his doubts though he pushed that aside and beamed at Kurai as they walked to Naruto's apartment.

The apartment.

They were walking to his apartment and the dread gushed right back into him. She hopefully wouldn't come inside; he didn't want her seeing the mess. However, he also didn't want her to leave. This was the first time in his life he felt at some ease and happy. The thought that someone cared for him, even if he was a little suspicious of Kurai though he had good reason to since something like this would never happen.

However, the dread was not for the mess in his apartment but because he knew once they reached, she would have to leave. And leaving meant only one thing. That he would be alone once again. His heart began hurting once more. By now they had arrived at his apartment and Naruto was about to walk up the steps but was stopped. Kurai was holding his hand and gazing at his face.

"Naruto, who do you live with?" she asked in a serious tone. He had definitely not anticipated such a question.

"Oh… um, I live by myself, the old man Hokage got this place for me cuz I didn't have anywhere to go." He said this in the most innocent manner that Kurai could not bear it anymore. What has this child gone through? A six-year-old adorable little boy living alone by himself, it is absolutely absurd! She had heard tales of the Demon Fox and how Naruto was it's jailor, but she had guessed that he would have been treated with respect for containing the most feared demon Konoha has experienced.

Kurai pulled Naruto close to her and hugged him holding him tight. "I'm sorry Naruto. I'm sorry I didn't come sooner. I'm so, so sorry."

Naruto didn't understand what she was apologizing to him for, nor what she meant by it, but her embrace made him feel warm and he knew then that he could trust her. She would not abandon him or hurt him like others have done. He slowly wrapped his arms around her and smiled, a small tear escaping his eye.

A moment later, he heard the thunder above and they both knew it would rain soon. She looked at Naruto, "My angel, would you like to stay with me for tonight, I'll make you hot chocolate and I have multiple rooms from which you can choose to stay. I don't want you living here anymore. I don't want you living alone anymore. Would you please come with me?"

Naruto definitely had not expected THIS to happen. What ever happened to people shunning him and hating him? He couldn't resist asking, as he pulled away from her and looked straight at her, "Why are you doing thing? Why are you being nice to me?"

"Sweet child, you deserve kindness and care, and no one this young should be living alone. I will go and speak with the Hokage himself tomorrow and request a permanent transfer. Would you be okay with living with me from now on?"

He wouldn't be alone anymore. That was the only thought currently going through Naruto's mind. He couldn't believe it. It was a miracle. The tears started all over again. It seems he had been crying numerous times today, but he couldn't help it. He felt light and his knees started to shake. "Y-y-yes… A-are you g-going to keep me f-for-forever?"

Naruto remembered in the previous year, when he was still in the orphanage before he was thrown out of it, though the Hokage had told him that they were full so he was going to get a new place to stay, he remembered seeing kids leave with different grown-ups and he heard those kids that left got to stay with them forever and they were going to keep the kid forever and be his or her parents. When he learned that is why people kept coming in, he got so excited; he was on his best behavior every time someone came. However, no one ever took him, they always gave him a dirty look or glanced over him not even bothering to glimpse at him. He was left alone and abandoned.

Kurai smiled at him and held his hands once again, "Of course Naruto, it would make me very happy to have you staying with me forever." Naruto gave her a huge smile and starting walking with her as she led the way to her home.

He wondered what her house would be like. He didn't know where they were going; she was leading him a far ways away from his apartment, closer to the Uchiha compound but still a distance away, and in a forest-like region. They had been walking down a wide path for a few minutes until he could see gates in the distance. They walked past the gates and into his view came a huge mansion. This place made his apartment look like an ant beside an elephant. He couldn't believe he would be living here from now on. What if he got lost? Then what would happen? Kurai would never be able to find him again and he would be lonely again.

Sensing Naruto's fear, she figured he was shocked from the size of the house, "Naruto, you won't get lost. I'll show you around and I'll always be with you."

He felt relieved and his pace quickened as his excitement increased. They reached the front doors and entered the place. It was dark inside and Kurai dropped Naruto's hand and left for a second. The dread was returning to Naruto, as he stood in the dark alone, until all the lights were turned on and he saw Kurai standing across the room beside the switch. He ran up to her and held her hand again, reassuring him that she wouldn't just disappear and this wasn't all just a dream.

The rain suddenly began to pour down harder and the loud sound of thunder made Naruto jump making Kurai chuckle. "It's okay Naruto. How about we get you dry, you are still a little wet from walking in the rain."

She took him upstairs, Naruto staring at everything on their way up and as they wandered down the hall. They entered a medium-sized bedroom with a huge window on the far wall and a large bed at the center of the room. The wall was painted a crème-color and the bed sheets were deep red. Above the bed, a painting hung of a small fox running through the field.

Kurai walked to the closet and pulled out a few clothes and walked back to Naruto. She gave him a little orange shirt and black pajama bottoms. He smiled at the orange color and went into the bathroom to change. When he walked out, the room was empty but just as quick as his fear returned, it left, because Kurai walked into the room, in her night suit as well, holding a mug of hot chocolate. She set them beside the table and picked up Naruto, walking over to the bed and placing him down gently. She grabbed one of the mugs and sat beside Naruto.

"One hot chocolate, just as promised." He gave her a smile, and held the mug, looking at its contents.

Kurai tilted her head at Naruto, "Is something wrong with the drink sweetheart?"

Naruto kept looking at the liquid and answered, "No, nothing is wrong with it. I've just never had it before."

Kurai's expression changed into annoyance at this village but she quickly changed it to a smile, "Well go ahead and try it. I promise you it's very good." Naruto took a sip and seemed surprised. It did taste good. It tasted really good. You could even say that it was almost as good as ramen. Almost.

After that one sip, the rest of the liquid vanished in seconds, as Naruto let out a squeaky hiccup. Kurai just laughed and took the mug from him setting it beside the table.

"I see you enjoyed that. I'll make you some more in the morning, but now I think it is time for you to sleep." Naruto yawned at that moment, though he insisted he wasn't tired. Of course she knew better, and pulled down the blanket, placing Naruto in the center of the bed, and then pulling the blankets over him. He yawned once more and his eyes started to close.

She placed a kiss on his forehead and said, "Goodnight my sweetest Naruto. Sleep well."

She turned to walk out of the room when she heard him quietly say, "G'night… ka-chan."

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><p><strong>Naruto is so cute! Too bad I don't own him.<strong>

**Well that was Chapter 2. In the next chapter, I am thinking I might tell you some more about Kurai… she is still quite a mystery. ;)**

**PLEASE REVIEW! **

**Because you know what happens when you review….. **

**The world becomes a better place. **


	3. Remember Me?

**Hello again! **

**H****ere is chapter three, as promised to be put up this weekend! **

**This chapter reveals some more about Kurai! *and the crowd goes wild***

**PLEASE REVIEW, I need your comments on anything I should fix, how you like the story, any improvements I can make for the future. It would be a great help! :)**

**—DemonicAngel—**

**DISCLAIMER: If I had a time machine, I'd go back in time and steal Naruto and claim him for myself.**

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><p><strong>Chapter 3<strong>

**Remember Me?**

Light from the rising sun found its way through the small parting between the velvety thick curtains in Kurai's bedroom. She cracked open one of her eyes and stared at the small specks that were visible in the sunlight as her mind flashed back to a memory from years past.

_**[FLASHBACK]**_

_Kurai awoke in her bedroom, observing the curtains, which were now halfway open rather than closed as she remembered they were last night before falling into a tranquil slumber. Someone had obviously been in her bedroom and left the garments she was to be dressed in for today on the chair beside the table. It was at that moment that the previous day's events dawned on her and she recalled the conversation between her and her brother._

_**[FLASHBACK WITHIN A FLASHBACK]**_

"_Onii-san, why do mother and father keep talking about me going away? I don't want to go away, I don't want to." Kurai cried as she shook her head, trying to rid herself of the bad feeling inside her. _

_Minato wrapped his arms around his little sister and held her close as he gently patted her head, soothing her in the process. He knew this day would come soon and it did come; very, very soon. He remembered when he departed to complete his training when he was of Kurai's age. A small five-year-old boy, still new to the ninja world and to the hard effort that it required. _

_It was tradition in the Namikaze household, once a child turns five; they are obligated to train regularly in a distant land for five years and return to Konoha, a strong willful Shinobi. His father had done the same, and so had his father's father before him. Minato's training had been cut short, however, due to a small war going on near the destination of the training. He returned to the Leaf Village after a year and resumed his practice with his father instead. It was that year that his precious little sister had also been born; he was six at the time. _

_Minato worried for Kurai and knew he would miss her deeply, but he was positive she would be fine. The strength and passion she possessed could be seen in her eyes, and he could tell that Kurai would develop into a formidable young woman. Hearing the light sobbing into his shirt, he was brought out of his thoughts. _

"_Don't cry Kurai, Mom and Dad aren't saying that because they want you to go. When I was your age, I had to leave for a while too ya know." That caught her attention and her tears ceased as she looked up at her brother._

'_He had to leave too?' she thought. _

"_But onii-san, can you tell me why they are sending me away?" she asked._

"_Because all Namikaze's have to go and do their training, and you have to also. That is what we always have done," Minato replied._

"_Why must I do this, why can't I do that here? I don't wish to leave! I'll miss you and father and mother. I won't get to see them for a long time!" Minato admired how she talked so maturely for her age, however that didn't change the fact that she was afraid and he attempted foremost to ease her distress._

_Minato guided her to her bed and tucked her in, then sat beside her on edge of the bed and entwined his fingers around her thin tiny ones. "I promise you Kurai, it will all be over sooner than you think, and when you come home, I'll be the first to welcome you at the gates." He placed a kiss on her forehead and closed the lights before leaving the room. _

_**[END FLASHBACK WITHIN FLASHBACK]**_

_Kurai didn't want to get up, but she forced herself and put on the clothes left for her. Looking at her reflection in the mirror, she brushed down the last strand of her pixie hair and walked out of her bedroom, giving it one last look before descending down the stairs. _

_Kurai made a huge effort to prevent tears from pouring out her bright blue eyes but when she reached the gates, they gushed out and she gave her brother a big hug before running up to her sensei. She waved at her family one last time before taking her leave for the five-year course._

_However, what was supposed to be five-years, evolved into eighteen long years and her big brother was never at the gates to welcome her when she returned._

_**[END FLASHBACK]**_

'If only you were still here nii-san… you would make things right.' Kurai thought as she pulled open her curtains and scanned the plains and beautiful gardens that spread out a vast distance, as she had once done every morning.

Kurai changed into a royal blue dress and put her long hair into a braided bun. She then wafted over to Naruto's bedroom; opening the door, déjà vu passed over her. She observed the strands of blonde hair sticking out of the blanket. Turning on the lights, she stepped beside the bed, bringing down the bedcover enough to see Naruto's face. He was all curled up in the comforter and his face sunk into the pillow as cold air hit his face. Kurai brushed back Naruto's hair and lightly kissed his forehead.

"Wake up, my sweet angel, we must make a visit to the Hokage's office today." Naruto shifted a little but remained in bed. 'Oh, just like his father, I suppose there is only one thing left to do…' Kurai smiled sweetly but her eyes held a glint of evil. She pulled down the covers and started tickling Naruto's sides.

"Oh-okay okay! I'm aha-awake! I'm awake! S-stop!" Naruto choked out through gasps of breath while laughing. Kurai giggled at the sight but stopped and patted his head.

"I'm sure you will get up the first time I ask from now onwards," said Kurai with a smirk on her face.

"I sure will…" Naruto mumbled. Kurai pulled out a red sweater from the closet along with some pants. 'Hmm… these might be one size too large for Naruto, but they'll have to make do for now. We'll have to go purchase clothes for Naruto today as well,' she thought.

She handed him his attire for the day, "Off to the bathroom now, get ready and come downstairs for breakfast."

Naruto took the clothes and skipped to the bathroom. He locked the door and sat on the floor, holding the sweater close. He ran his fingers over the soft fabric and bit his lip. He hadn't ever owned such nice clothing before. Being with Kurai amazed him at how many things he didn't seem to have and began to notice them one at a time.

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><p>Naruto and Kurai left the house and soon arrived at the town market area. Though Naruto had only been with Kurai for a day, the kindness she treated him with caused him to forget about the hatred that people had towards him.<p>

Kurai held Naruto's hand in her own while walking up the market area towards the Hokage's office. She wanted to get Naruto something special, knowing that he didn't own many toys to begin with. She remembered they also had to get Naruto to test out different clothes for a new wardrobe.

Naruto could see the eyes of the civilians fixed on him and the unfamiliar lady beside him. He started feeling uncomfortable, and tried to slip his hand out of Kurai's, which to Kurai felt like he was pulling away because he was just being a child and desired to go off and look at different things in the stores. Kurai let go of his hand but rested it on his shoulder instead.

"Naruto, I'm going to have a look at something in that store right there," she pointed, "and there is something that I have to get so you can look at whatever you want as long as you stay around this area, alright?" Naruto was relieved at what she said because then people might stop staring at him if she wasn't holding his hand. Naruto just nodded at her and watched her move towards the store up ahead.

Naruto didn't really know what to do, he just stood at the center of the marketplace and wandered his blue eyes around the area until the found something they liked. A little ways down, there was a small shop that was selling ANBU masks and Naruto strolled up to the store, his head tilting up to see all the different masks. His eyes rested on a white mask with three red slashes on each side of the mask. He was about to grab it when he was shoved out. He tripped on his feet, falling back and landing on his butt. By now, a small crowd had gathered around him and watched the scene take place.

"You want this, you freak? Here, you can have it!" The storeowner grabbed one of the masks and threw it at Naruto, hitting him on the head. "You're a monster! You shouldn't even be allowed to live!"

The crowd was all glaring at Naruto but their expressions changed to a frightened appearance when they sensed a dark aura radiating from behind.

Naruto rubbed his head and turned to see Kurai standing between a now parted crowd, who were slowly making their ways away from her as she neared the man who had hurt her nephew.

She bent to pick up Naruto, with a sad smile but her eyes still raging with fury. They were no longer the bright blue color anymore, but a darker shade, dark enough to be perceived as black. Smoothing Naruto's hair with her hand, and sliding her fingers over the spot he'd been hit, she concentrated with no effort at all, the chakra on her finger points and healed Naruto's head, even though there was barely any injury at all. She just didn't want Naruto going through any pain. Finishing there, she focused back on the man, who hadn't budged since and locked eyes with his.

His entire body shook and he felt numb throughout. Fear overtook him while his eyes were still locked with Kurai's. The killer intent that she gave off was enough to make him want to curl up and hide. In a quick flash, she was beside the man and spoke, "If you ever so much as even look at him with disgust again, I won't show any mercy. You may consider yourself lucky this time, but in the future I expect an action like this to never occur. Is that understood?" Her voice sent more chills down his spine than the threat of the words and he merely nodded, still unable to move from the terror inhabiting his body.

She went beside Naruto and picked him up, allowing him to rest his head on her shoulder. She gave one look at the crowd that had kept a distance and they snapped their heads in the other direction, afraid that they might look into her eyes. Her presence alone caused people near the area get an urge to disappear. She let out a sigh, and quickly flickered out of view.

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><p>Kurai stood in front of the Hokage's building. She was aware of the ANBU that were by the entrance doors. Naruto had fallen asleep in her arms. She went up to the ANBU and requested to see the Hokage.<p>

"I apologize miss but no one is permitted to meet the Hokage today, he gave specific orders not to disturb him. You will have to come back tomorrow," one of ANBU reported.

"If you don't mind," she stated with a little venom in her words, "the matter is of utmost importance; it would make things easier if you would inform him about me." Her time was being wasted with these two and they were just going to bring trouble to themselves if they didn't go through with what she requested of them.

The second ANBU moved forward and answered, "We can't do that ma'am, if you don't step away, we'll have no choice but to remove you by forc—" Before he could finish his sentence, he dropped to the ground along with his teammate. The movement was barely undetectable, if at all. Kurai, from a point of view if someone were watching, would appear as if Kurai was standing exactly where she was while the ANBU fell to the ground without reason.

Kurai just drifted into the building and heard the sound of faint footsteps but flashed out of the room and in less than a second stood in front of the Hokage's door. She knocked twice and opened the door.

She heard the Hokage's voice fire up, "I explicitly instructed you t—" his words evaporated into thin air once he saw the figure that was gracing the doorway.

"Please forgive me for interrupting you Hokage-sama, but there are a few things need to be discussed," Kurai said, stepping into the room and laying the still sleeping Naruto gently on the chair, "in regards to the boy you see here."

Sarutobi leaned back into his chair and rested his elbows on the arms of the chair. The face that he saw was a familiar one; and he knew there lived only one person who possessed such eyes. 'Impossible,' he thought, but there was only one way to find out.

"Welcome back Kurai, it's been a while."

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><p>"Yes Hokage-sama, it has; however, my return has been anything but jovial from what I've witnessed the past couple of days," Kurai said.<p>

"And why so?" Sarutobi asked, though he had a good idea why.

"I'm sure you know exactly why. My brother died, leaving his only child behind, and asking only one thing. For people to view him as a hero. But all I've been seeing is people mistreating him and the pathetic and miserable life he's been living at such a small age. He told me that he lived alone, and you were the reason behind it. What caused you to put this child in such a state? I didn't think you were that type Sarutobi-san. My view of you was much higher than that, from all the praises that my late brother spoke of you through the letters I received." Kurai's expression never changed but her eyes held all the rage that her voice lacked.

Sarutobi remained silent for a minute and then replied, "Kurai, you have been away for long so there are many things you don't know. First, I cannot prevent the hatred people have for Naruto. I have passed a law that they are prohibited to speak about the Kyuubi but I cant force anything further than that. No one can control what people speak of among themselves nor can I just stop the hatred. These people had lost many loved ones during the time the Kyuubi invaded Konoha, and they seem to have found a source to direct their hatred too. I may try to stop it but it won't change anything. As for the reason why I got Naruto a new place to live is because his life was worse at the orphanage. No one desired him and behaved badly towards him. It was the best thing to do."

Kurai merely stared at him with disappointment. 'Does he not realize that there are numerous ways to stop the mistreatment?' she thought.

"Just tell me one thing. Does either the village or the boy know who his parents were?" she asked.

"No, they don't know except for a few elite ninja and myself. As for Naruto, it is best that he not know about his parents or the Kyuubi yet," Sarutobi answered but knew that she wouldn't accept this.

"Well I'm sorry to hear that. If you won't tell him, then I will have to do so myself." Kurai stated, her patience was beginning to wear off.

"No, you will do no such thing! I will say it again that it is for the best that he does not know. Minato had told me himself not to tell Naruto, and I'm sure you don't desire to ignore your brother's wishes." Sarutobi yelled but Kurai didn't even flinch.

Sarutobi hoped that she wouldn't try to argue back and she didn't. Kurai just sat there quietly, her features displaying grief. She pondered over what Sarutobi told her and she realized there was nothing she could do.

Sarutobi spoke gently, "Kurai, I'm glad that you came back, because now Naruto will have someone to be with. I believe in due time you can tell him yourself but the reason that he shouldn't be told now is because I don't think he'll be able to handle such news. Maybe in a few years after entering the academy and graduating, would be a better time. He's much too young. You also have to consider the fact that he might hate his parents and assume that they abandoned him. You cant ever know the outcome from informing Naruto of these facts."

"But don't you think he should at least be told about the Kyuubi inside of him? He can't just keep living like this, thinking that everyone hates him for no reason. What good will that do to him? Have you ever observed him closely? He tries to act happy for others and himself and puts on a smile but that is all just a façade.

I brought him to my home, and the way he acted ashamed me of myself. It is my fault for not coming sooner, he needed the family, and I was selfish not to return, though I didn't think that he would be living in such pitiful conditions when I did return." Kurai let out a deep breath and pulled out her clip, letting her hair flow down her back.

"I do think he should know but it would be better to tell him about his parents and the Kyuubi together. It would make him understand better. It would be good for now that you stay with him and take care of him; you are his only family left after all," said Sarutobi.

"I suppose you're right about that… I've resumed my stay at the Namikaze home, since no one is living there, and I hold full custody of Naruto." Kurai put her hand through her coat and pulled out a scroll. "This… this was the letter that was sent to me anonymously... five years ago." She handed the Hokage the letter and he opened it, viewing its contents.

_Dear Kurai,_

_My purpose is to alert you about the situation in Konoha. The Kyuubi had invaded and destroyed much of the area. Minato put in all his effort to destroy the evil beast but that was not enough. His son was born the day of the attack and Minato sealed the demon into the child, who is now the Kyuubi's jailor. However, there was a price for such a seal, and I'm sorry to say, he and his wife both died doing so. His dying wish was for his son to be praised for bringing safety to the people. _

There wasn't anything signed as to identify the sender. Sarutobi read the letter one more time, and proceeded to close the scroll and hand it back.

"I didn't come back because my heart hurt from the announcement of my brothers death. I was angry and sorrowful at the same time and I thought I had no purpose to return for, which is why I stayed there another five years.

I realized then, that staying away would not change anything and so I returned. I came back a week ago and was walking around yesterday when I first spotted the blond hair, I automatically knew that this was my dear brother's son." Kurai looked to Naruto who slept soundlessly through the whole conversation, the scene from the marketplace must have really drained off his energy. "My only regret is not coming home sooner."

"It's alright Kurai, you weren't knowledgeable of the situation. But now that you are back, Naruto will have someone to look up to and become truly happy. I feel at peace knowing someone will be caring for him and for that I thank you." Sarutobi stood up, as the meeting was coming to a close.

As did Kurai, taking hold of Naruto again and walking towards the door. She was about to walk out but Sarutobi stopped her, "Just curious, how did you ever get past my guards? They _were _some of my strongest ones."

Kurai's eyes gleamed and she smirked, "I haven't just been lazing around for the past _eighteen_ years, _Hokage_-sama," and with that she flashed out of sight.

* * *

><p><strong>EIGHTEEN YEARS! Long time, isn't it? You may be wondering why her training was prolonged but <em>that <em>will be told later on. **

**Anyways, now that we have dealt with all the main issues, the next chapters will actually bring in some of the other kids, and possibly even Hinata, so be ready! **

**Now that Kurai is taking care of Naruto, things will change... for better or for worse? Only time will tell.**

**SO, tell me what you guys think and how can you do that?**

**REVIEW!**

**Review so that Naruto can be happy. **

**TTFN, ta ta for now!**


	4. Old Memories

**Hey guys, I'm back! I know I promised to update a month ago, but things have been hectic with my mother gone and me in charge, but here it is, a chapter starting with the new year! Which, by the way, Happy New Year everyone! Here are a few little details:**

**As far as ages go, Kurai is 22. Iruka is also 22.**

**Kakashi, Kurenai, and Guy are all 23, whereas Asuma is 25.**

**Hiashi, Fugaku, and Minato (though he's passed away) would all be 28, at the current moment.**

**Naruto is 6, and the kids in Naruto's class are also six/seven. Neji, Lee, Tenten are 8. Itachi is 12 years old right now.**

**The Third Hokage is ruling and Orochimaru, Jiraiya, and Tsunade are off in their own places; I've yet to decide their roles in the story. These characters are all around 45 years old right now.**

**ALSO, when you read the story and you come across a lullaby, go to my profile, it has the YouTube link for the song. It's beautiful so you should listen to it! **

**~DemonicAngel~**

**DISCLAIMER: My new year's resolution? To find a way to steal Naruto... If only he belonged to me. *Sigh***

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><p><strong>Old Memories<strong>

Kurai helped Naruto out of his sweater and pants and into his flannel pajamas, then placed him on his bed, pulling the blanket over his small body. Her fingers skated through his golden locks, shifting his hair back and resting a hand over his warm forehead. A few beads of sweat resided above his brows; a fever appearing to be making an entry.

Kurai promptly retrieved a dampened towel and medicine, pouring the liquid onto a spoon and, with a little difficulty, persuading Naruto to open his mouth and swallow the dark fluid. Taking the wet cloth, Kurai adjusted it onto Naruto's temple, gently pressing down on it.

'If only illness could be healed as easily as injury…' She watched Naruto in distress, indiscernible worry lines decorating her smooth forehead. He began stirring, swiveling to one side and then to the other, troubled and burning up. Kurai took hold of the towel, soaked it again and positioned it upon Naruto's forehead, wiping away the drops trickling down the side of his tan face.

Lodging herself beside Naruto on the bed, Kurai massaged his head and started to sing a beautiful lullaby.

"_Lay down your head, and I'll sing you a lullaby,_

_back to the years of loo-li lai lay._

_And I'll sing you to sleep,_

_and I'll sing you tomorrow._

_Bless you with love,_

_for the road that you go._

_May you sail fair,_

_to the far fields of fortune._

_With diamonds and pearls,_

_at your head and your feet._

_And may you need never,_

_to banish misfortune._

_May you find kindness in all that you meet._

_May there always be angels to watch over you,_

_to guide you each step of the way._

_To guard you and keep you,_

_safe from all harm._

_Loo-li loo-li lai lay…."_

Kurai hummed the rest of the sweet music as Naruto ceased shifting, his breathing slowing down to normal. Sitting up, Kurai set her feet on the floor and stood up. She checked Naruto's temperature and it seemed to be gradually decreasing to the standard.

Exhaling, her hands formed a quick sign, producing three perfect clones awaiting orders.

"I'm heading out for few minutes, I need you—" she pointed to the first clone— "to watch over and take care of Naruto." Kurai faced the second clone and gave her different instructions. "You must come find me and inform me if Naruto's condition alters and becomes critical. Don't hesitate, immediately leave." She turned over to the last clone and gave the last of her orders, "While I'm away, please boil healing soup on the stove and cook dinner; if the kitchen is short of an ingredient, send out—" Kurai created three more clones— "one of them to fetch it for you, otherwise, allow them to assist you around the kitchen."

Kurai examined each copy of herself go to their respectful areas and perform their individual tasks before flashing out of view and outside the gates of her home. She advanced at a fast pace, hurrying towards her destination so that she could return to Naruto sooner.

* * *

><p>The day was slowly reaching a close, the sun still above the horizon, a deep orange shade; the sky going from a pink hue to its natural blue. She noticed each branch, each leaf, and each pebble on her way, storing the details into memory. Her training had caused her to see everything from a whole new perspective, and observe the minutiae for future purposes. Surveying her surroundings in this manner aided her with knowledge of enemies, and dangerous animals lurking about. It improved her senses to the highest degree in the same way a spear end is sharpened to perfection.<p>

It wasn't too long before Kurai was standing in front of the special place she had been meaning to visit since the moment she had returned to Konoha. Holding her breath, she took one step at a time, the grass bending under her feet.

Finally reaching the black marble stone, she looked up at the memorial, setting down the flowers she brought. Slowly breathing out in shaky breaths, she spoke, "H-hello nii-san."

Kurai cleared her throat of the lump that had been forming there and quickly rubbed off the tear growing in her eye. She put one hand on the cold stone, and tried speaking again.

"Minato nii-san… I've… I… I don't really know what to do. My nephew… y-your son, Naruto, he's amazing a-and you would be proud of him, if… if you were still here.

Nii-san, what am I supposed to do? Everyone in the village… they don't understand anything, they have hurt Naruto in so many ways. How do I stop this…? How can I make them see the truth that Naruto isn't a monster, he's the hero, your legacy…"

She cleared her throat once more, inhaling and exhaling. "I've read over all your letters again, every one that you sent me while I was away, and I saw the picture you sent me, the one with your team. What I couldn't understand is why K—" she stopped mid-sentence when sensing a change in the atmosphere.

She waited in silence for a few minutes to see if the visitor hiding among of the trees would make known his presence, she resolved to make it for him.

"I hope it doesn't come as a shock to you, but I know you're there so you might as well stop hiding, Kakashi."

Kurai heard the man go from a crouching to an upright position on the trees. Listening to the barely audible thud, leaves crunching beneath his feet as he took one step forward, Kurai turned around to face the boy, now a man, with his gravity-defying hair and mask, the same as it had been in all the photos her dear brother had sent in his letters. Her mind flashed back to an insignificant memory.

**FLASHBACK**

_Kurai sat under the willow tree beside her house, humming a tune, and brushing down her doll's hair. She stretched her arm to pluck out one of the developed white ruffled tulips nearby. As she was about to grab the flower, someone poked her back._

_Whipping her head back to see no one, she just shrugged it off, but before turning around, something poked her back again. Confused and somewhat frightened, she started to get up._

_She straightened her back and felt cold air rush into her ear. Goosebumps forming on her arms, she gulped, shifting her eyes to the right. Afraid of what might be there, she stood still a moment, biting her lip. She was about to look back when she someone tapped on her left shoulder. Abruptly, Kurai snapped her head in that direction as the source of the poking yelled, "BOO!"_

"_Aaahhhh!" Her scream rang out and then steadily died down when her ears caught laughter resonating a few feet to the side._

"_Meanie 'Kashi! I'm gonna tell nii-san!" Kurai yelled and snatched her doll as she ran to the front of the house. Kakashi's laughter broke off immediately, eyes widening._

"_W-wait! Wait Kurai! I was just kidding!" He began to chase after, "Don't tell your brother, wait! I'm sorry!" Naturally, being faster than her, he caught up to her, and seized hold of her arm. The sudden action caused both of them to fall, with Kakashi still holding onto Kurai's wrist._

"_You're not gonna tell, are you?" Kakashi asked._

"_Imma tell, you can't stop me!" Kurai stuck her tongue out at him. She tried to push out of his grip on her arms, but he held on tightly._

"_Oh ya? I think I can." Kakashi starting tickling her sides, initiating her laugher._

"_What was that you said? You were gonna tell?" Kakashi asked again._

"_Aahh-no-no, I won't! I promise, I promise!" she breathed out, her giggling rooting a smile on Kakashi's face._

**FORWARD FLASHBACK (One year later)**

_Kurai stood in front of the gates before leaving Konoha, she tried stalling some more, hoping Kakashi would show up. All her other friends had said their goodbyes except him and she was waiting there for him. After all, he spent most of his time with her so weren't they friends now?_

_A few minutes passed, and it was time to go. She sighed, and hugged her brother one last time and ran to her sensei. Turning back to wave goodbye to her family, her eyes seemed to deceive her, or so she thought. Far back, on a tree, stood a boy with gray hair and… a mask?_

'_That can't be Kakashi… ' she thought. Rubbing her eyes with one hand, she opened them and glanced at the tree again, this time nothing but the branch in her view._

'_I'm just imagining things…'_

**END FLASHBACK**

Kakashi took another step forward and volunteered to open the conversation, "Exactly how do you know who I am?"

"Well you are quite famous in many regions, it shouldn't surprise you that you're so well-known," Kurai responded, a slight smirk playing on her lips.

Kakashi noted how her reply didn't match her action, since she acknowledged his identity while facing away from him. Despite the vagueness in what she said, he chose not to point out the minor detail.

"Are you new to Konoha?"

"I wouldn't say new… more like returning after a very long time. How did you come to the assumption that I was new?"

Kakashi wasn't sure why he asked that, she did seem oddly familiar, "Usually there isn't anyone here, and your occupation at this spot appeared out of the ordinary."

"I see. You probably visit this vicinity quite often to be able to conjure up that information," Kurai stated.

Kakashi observed how she herself formed that fact and was probably not some average civilian.

"You're right, I do come here frequently…"

"Do you visit someone close?"

Kakashi raised a brow, "Yes, a friend of mine…"

Kurai sensed his discomfort and apologized, "Forgive me, I didn't mean to intrude."

"No worries, it's fine. May I ask what _you're _doing here?"

Kurai smiled, her eyes moving to the right to look at the memorial, and answered, "I too came to see someone close to me… I suppose it's been a while so I shouldn't be taken aback if you don't remember me, but I'm sure it'll come to you soon. Now if you'll excuse me, it was nice meeting you—" she held her hand up to her chest, and vanished from sight—"…. again."

A confused expression broke out on Kakashi's face, '… to see someone close? Remember? What did she mean?' he thought. His eyes wavered to the black stone lying behind the spot she was standing a moment ago. He stared at the words engraved in the marble, '_The Fourth Hokage: Namikaze Minato'_.

'Minato Sensei…?' Suddenly it all clicked together, her visit, the familiarity of those blue eyes, and how she knew him; Kurai had finally returned.

* * *

><p>Walking back, Kurai sighted an elder gentleman and a young girl, most likely his daughter, a few feet ahead of her in black funeral robes. 'There must have been a death in the family recently,' Kurai deliberated.<p>

Three roads separated in the distance and the man with the long dark brown hair turned towards the right, along with his daughter. Kurai squinted at the pair and caught sight of those milky white eyes on the older man. 'The Hyuuga…'

The Hyuuga compound was at a distance and to right side of the Namikaze grounds, and the Uchiha Clan was to the left side. This setting was perfect when the Fourth Hokage ruled; his home acted sort of as a peace boundary between the two great clans of Konoha. It functioned to keep the tension out and also a place where the two opponents met with the Hokage just for good ol' conversation.

Recalling in her letters how Minato was close friends with the heads of both groups, Kurai thought it'd be rude not to go see them. It wouldn't appear mannerly if they discovered her return from a third-party source. Minato would have preferred her to keep the bond strong during her stay as he had once kept before the attack six years ago.

Kurai entered her home and dispelled her clones, their activities flooding into her mind. Each one had effectively completed their task; Naruto remained in peaceful slumber, his temperature perfectly normal and healthy and the meal entirely prepared.

With Naruto still sleeping, she decided to set the table for dinner. A hazy smoke settled in the kitchen, most likely due to the food that had been cooked; Kurai lifted the window for some fresh air, a gust of wind rushed past her, the cool breeze instantly rejuvenating the atmosphere.

She walked to the cabinets and reached for two glossy white plates, setting them on the polished marble countertop. The airstream invading through the open windowpane shrunk in size, as if blocked.

With a twist of the lips, a smirk ornamented Kurai's face, "And here I thought that the years would have amended the style of your entry. The window is _not _a door Kakashi."

Kakashi chuckled behind his mask, "Well what can I say, old habits die hard."

"And you serve as the best example of that saying…." Kurai mumbled, and then in a comprehensible tone, "It feels strange with you here, like everything was as it once was. As if everyone is still living in this house."

"I agree, the time has gone by fast and it seems like ages since I was last here. I'm glad to have a Namikaze back in this home."

Kurai smiled, her soft laughter filling the room, "I hope this doesn't mean you'll be stopping by _every single _day like you did back then."

Kakashi remained silent for a moment. Kurai hoped she hadn't offended him in any way, she meant it in a joking manner. His expression became undecipherable as his liquid black eyes locked with her lightning blue orbs. "There was a reason behind my daily visits," he spoke gently, "I thought someone of your intelligence would have pieced that puzzle whole by now."

Kakashi travelled away from the window till he stood in front of her, having to look down at her face. Kurai placed her palms beside herself on the cold surface, her slim fingers curling around the edge of the smooth counter as she leaned back, putting her weight on it. "Well this puzzle is a little complicated…" she breathed out.

He stepped closer, residing his hands beside Kurai's on the marble surface, caging her between his arms. Kurai pushed further in to the counter, if that was possible; the proximity between them felt strange, something she was not accustomed to. Gazing at his face, her thoughts drifted to a new matter. "But this has been a mystery to me as well," she asserted while lifting her arm, finger reaching out for the top of his mask but abruptly held back by Kakashi's grip.

He had grabbed onto her wrist, his one exposed eye piercing through hers. "Don't change the subject," he pressed.

Kurai's lips parted to emit speech, but closed shortly after sensing another presence behind the copy-ninja blocking her view. She slipped out of Kakashi's clutch and coasted towards her small ray of sunshine. Naruto was standing by the kitchen entry, one hand loosely holding the velvety-soft blanket, the other curled up into a ball with which he was rubbing his eyes. "Okasan (mother) ….?"

"Naruto you're awake! How're you feeling sweetheart?" she tenderly answered.

"'M okay…" he replied, and then tugged on Kurai's shirt, signaling her to come closer. Positioning one hand on her shoulder with the blanket still clasped between his fingers , he whispered loudly, "Who's thaaat?" he asked pointing a stubby little finger at Kakashi.

All this while Kakashi intently watched the scene playing before him. His uncovered eye scanning back and forth between Naruto and Kurai. 'When did this happen?' he wondered.

Kurai bent down beside Naruto faced Kakashi and answered his question, "That's an old friend of mine. His name is Kakashi. Why don't you go introduce yourself?" she directed, ushering Naruto towards him.

Naruto steadily walked towards Kakashi, blanket still in hand and tilted his head back to look at the unfamiliar man. They both stared at each other till Naruto spoke up in the adorable child-like way, "Hi 'Kashi, my name is Uzumaki Naruto and I'm gonna be the bestest ninja ever!"

Kakashi just stood still a moment, and then smiled behind his mask, "I'm sure you will too Naruto."

Silence ensued those words till Kurai voiced herself, "Kakashi, would you like to stay for dinner? It would be just like old times."

Kakashi sprung out of his thoughts and faced her, "Of course, I wouldn't deny a request to let me stay here longer. This was like my second home when we were younger."

Kurai had already set the table, so all three took their designated seats and began eating, with Naruto sitting beside Kurai and Kakashi sitting across her. There was an awkward stillness for a few minutes, except for the slight clanging of the metal spoons on the glass plates. After a while, Kurai proceeded to speak out, "So Kakashi… You seemed to have quickly realized who I was…" Her words asked more of a question than making a statement.

"Hmm? Yes, you did hint at it some, and the location along with a few other things helped out until it became obvious."

"I see…" Apparently conversation wasn't as easy to construct as it was when they were kids.

Kurai out of shyness and to avoid his eyes kept her head down while eating but just realized that she could have seen the mystery behind the mask when Kakashi began eating. With this idea popping into her mind, her eyes shifted up to look in his direction, her head still facing down. Her hopes were crushed when she observed the empty bowl in front of her. 'He finished that fast?' she thought incredulously. Naruto on the other hand was a curious case from the moment he laid his azure spheres on the mysterious mask. His gaze hadn't budged from Kakashi's face, even for a second. He hadn't even touched his food.

Even though, his fixed stare didn't do much because Kakashi was aware of the whole situation and had purposely put the bowl up to his face, pulled down the mask, finished the soup, and hidden his face before gently setting the bowl down on the table. The irritated expression on Naruto's face amused him to no end.

Kakashi pushed his chair back, indicating his departure. "Thank you for the dinner Kurai, but duty calls."

Kurai stood up as well, "Alright. Naruto finish your food, I'll be right back." She walked Kakashi to the door, Naruto warily watching Kakashi, still uncertain of the guy.

They reached the door, Kakashi opening it and stepping out. "It was good seeing you again Kurai," Kakashi said, facing away.

"Yes, the same goes for you. You should drop by again; it would be nice to have some company."

Kakashi smiled, and turned towards her, leaning in close. "Don't worry, now that you're back, I'll be dropping by _very _often." He lightly layed his finger under her chin, swiftly placing a kiss on her forehead before vanishing into the night.

Kurai shocked by the current events, paused to take it all in, and beneath the white glow of the moon, one could see delicate blush highlighting her face.

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><p><strong>There ya have it! I know I said this is a NaruHina story and it is, but things will develop slowly because they are still very young. This is a small cutesy scene with Kakashi, which I hope you guys liked. Kakashi and Kurai... I haven't decided on them yet, but I made a photo of 'em which is on my profile, if you want to check it out! :)<strong>

**When Minato was young, his relationship with Kakashi was sort of like how it is with Naruto and Konohamaru.**

**If you guys watched the video I posted at the beginning, with Kurai's lullaby, tell me what you think of that, and the best way to do it? REVIEW! :)**

**Hopefully I can get the next chapter up soon... I don't know how soon though, but I'll write as much as I can when I get any free time!**

**Next Chapter will contain a meeting with the Uchihas and Hyuugas... its gonna get interesting. Wonder how it will go?**

**So once again, Happy New Year, and please leave a review! It will make me happy:)**


	5. Endless Troubles

**HELLO AGAIN! It has been a long while since I last updated, and I am soooo terrible sorry for that. It was partially due to procrastination, school, and also because I was having trouble figuring out how to continue. **

**I hadn't really thought out anything beyond what I had written before this so I was at a major loss but all is well now because I have put some time into this and written out my entire plot and I really love it and hopefully you will like the rest of the story too!**

**Also, keep reviewing! I just write what I dream out or what just pops into my mind and I don't know if it's good or not, so please REVIEW and tell me if it's okay, cuz it feels like I'm writing crap here. **

**But ANYHOO... now that I'm all ready and fired up, I can truly say the next update will be a lot sooner than this one took... **

**Hope you guys like! **

**—DemonicAngel—**

**DISCLAIMER: Once again, don't own Naruto. But remember children... there is always something called _blackmail_. XD **

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><p><strong>Chapter 5<strong>

**Endless Troubles**

"Why! Why! Why! What is wrong with me?" Kurai internally groaned at her stupidity from the previous day. "How could I get so caught in his little tricks like that? That was definitely not how it was supposed to go…" she pondered over yesterday's events and the delicate kiss Kakashi had placed on her forehead. The thought of it caused her to blush profusely all over again.

The sky was dimly lit as the sun peeked over the horizon, a faint pink highlighting the blue dawn. Kurai had been pacing around the kitchen for a while now, her mind running back and forth and thoughts being voiced out loud but not carrying out beyond the creamy kitchen walls.

"I know he's going to stop by again and when he does, I'm going to ask him straight this time. No getting lost in his eyes… or well in this case, 'eye.'" For a split-second, she left reality and entered la la land, a soft sigh escaping her pink lips.

"No! No! No! This is exactly what I'm NOT supposed to be doing!" She smacked the side of her head, trying to knock some sense in. Her serious visage was diffusing and the blame rested on Kakashi. He always brought out the childish side of her.

"Yes. Yes I'm not going to act so foolishly anymore. This is about Naruto, it's a serious matter, yes," she spoke to the empty room. Kurai swore if someone saw her at this moment, they would probably think she'd gone insane, talking to herself like that. "Well that's settled then. Once Kakashi arrives, I'm going to ask him—"

"Ask me what?" a deep voice murmured into her ear from behind.

She spun around so quickly, she almost tripped over her own feet. Her heart beat like drums in a parade, "Ah-I-I-um-I… well…ah…" She was at a loss for words. Kurai hadn't expected to be surprised like that; this was definitely not how she pictured the conversation to go.

Kakashi leaned in closer, a smirk playing at his lips. "Yes, you were saying?" he breathed out. Kurai flushed. 'That man! Trying to take advantage of me in my situation! I won't let it turn out like this.'

"No," she poked him square in the chest, pushing him back. "No, don't you try to do that again," she poked him again, enlarging the distance between them.

"Why Kurai-_chan_, what ever are you talking about?" A smug expression stole his face, as he tried best to consume his laughter. He knew how much it bothered her when he teased her like it. She always tried to maintain her composure when she was young and didn't know how to retain it when she lost her cool, especially with Kakashi. As a matter of fact, _only _with Kakashi. It was no surprise that she was still the same after all these years; he really had missed teasing his best friend.

Her facial expression switched and became hard. 'Oh no… here it comes…" he thought.

"Kakashi, enough of this. This is no time for fun and games. Now move away so I can talk to you easily." She pushed him back onto the stool and then moved a distance away so she would remain stoic when speaking with the masked-man. He sighed and shoved his hands into his pant-pockets; preparing himself for the questions she was about to bombard him with.

She folded her arms and leaned against the cold counter-edge. Her eyes roamed around the room, trying to figure out how to begin. They finally settled on his face, though not making complete eye contact. "Please just tell me why… why you didn't bring Naruto under your care from the start? Kakashi, you and Minato were so close; he was practically like your older brother! What in the world could have caused you to let that little boy be put into an orphanage that hurt him even more?"

She had begun speaking calmly but her emotions soon took over, the sound of her voice rising with each word leaking out of her mouth.

Kakashi on the other hand appeared slightly off-balance, not sure how to answer. "Kurai, even though the boy was in the orphanage… I still watched over him, it's not like I had abandoned him," he answered half-sincerely.

Kurai raised a brow, her anger at maximum. "I'm sorry, you what? You 'watched over' him? What do you mean, you _'watched over' _him? He's been living in the worse conditions provided! How the hell is that '_watching over_' him!" she burst out.

Kakashi placed his hands on her shoulders, "Kurai, please calm down."

She smacked his hands off her shoulders, "No! I will not calm down! I want an explanation to your stupid behavior!"

This time it was Kakashi's turn to get mad, he'd had enough of her outbursts. He wasn't going to just sit back and listen. "Stop. Don't get ahead of yourself here. You knew as well that your own brother had a son, yet where were you hmm?"

His hands still in his pockets, he tilted towards her; his mask covered most of his face but the rage clearly evident in his visible eye. It was good his sharingan eye was concealed otherwise the image put together would have been quite frightening. It was unusual to see this copycat get angry.

Kurai's lips formed into a thin line, her eyes now staring at the ground. Not giving a reply, Kakashi continued, "So, what? You think you're the only one here who gets to go grieve over it all? The only who was depressed over his death, hmm?" his tone dangerously low, "I don't think you're being fair here Kurai. You weren't even there for it! You didn't have to see it all go down! I'm sorry if I wasn't able to control my emotions and just turn out a happy jolly elf after the Kyuubi attack!"

Kurai stood silent, embarrassed from flaring out without thinking the whole thing through. Of course he would have suffered from the death, why hadn't she thought of that? And now she'd gotten him angry. If only she could repeat the conversation over, but life didn't always work out that way.

"Please just go. I don't want to talk anymore," she whispered, still looking down; the tears were building up on her bottom eyelid and at risk of spilling over. She felt like a child who had just been scolded and felt silly to get teary over something like that but she felt ashamed of it all and just wanted him to leave before the small drops ran down her rosy cheeks, coming into his view.

"Kurai…" he gently put his finger under her chin to pull it up, but she didn't budge. "Kurai please look at me."

She shook her head, trembling lightly, "No, please leave. I- I need… just go."

His face fell, regretting coming out so harsh, but figuring she had put this on herself anyway. He sauntered over to the window and made one last attempt to soothe things, "I'm sorry…" he apologized before swiftly departing.

Once she was sure he was gone, she grabbed a tissue from nearby and quickly wiped away the tears that had grown within her closed eyes. She exhaled deeply, releasing the lump lodging in her throat. She breathed out a few more times to calm down completely and then resumed her daily activities as she busied herself with making breakfast for Naruto before leaving to wake him up.

Today was going to be a long day and she already felt exhausted from its tense start.

**-PAGE BREAK-**

After breakfast, she tried to figure out where she was to go first, the Hyuugas or the Uchihas residence? Maybe she should ask Naruto, though she doubted he knew much about the two clans.

Naruto was silently sitting in his chair, swinging his legs back and forth like an eager little child. Kurai took the dirty dishes and went to rinse them in the sink while she spoke with the blond-haired boy, "Naruto, I was wondering if you know who the Uchihas and Hyuugas are?"

Naruto tilted his head to one said, his hair moving in that direction as well, "Umm, I know who they are but why you askin' Obasan **(Auntie)**?" he inquired.

She noticed that he hadn't addressed her as 'mother' this time, which saddened her a little, but she found it cute how he called her Auntie instead, which technically she was. "Well I thought me and you should go visit them today, they are our neighbors after all, so it would be impolite not to go say hello. I was wondering which one of them you wanted to go see first?"

Naruto scrunched his face and answered, "None of them, they both have scary eyes… I heard Uchiha people, th-they can make their eyes red and the Hyuuga people have no eyes! Obasan have you seen them? They're scary…."

Kurai chuckled at his response, he was so adorable, she couldn't understand how anyone could come to hate the sweet child. "Darling, you do realize that you'll be going to the Academy with some of Hyuuga and Uchiha kids soon, right? You start the academy in a few weeks, so wouldn't it be better if you had made friends with some of them before then?"

"Bu-but Obasan! No eeeyes!" he raised his arms and pointed his fingers at his own eyes while speaking to emphasize the fact.

Amused by his reasoning, she laughed but decided to explain to him why they are the way they are. "Sweetie, they do have _eyes_, their eyes are just white because they have this special thing that they can do. It's called the Byakugan and when they activate it, they are able to see really far and all around them. Do you understand?"

He processed the information, understanding some of it, and then gave a reply that only a 6-yr old child could form, "That's not fair! How come they only get to have those super-eyes?"

"Well, that's because it was passed down in their clan for a long time now, but you should be very happy we have them in our village. They make our village stronger. Isn't that a good thing?"

"I s'pose… but, but! Can we still go to the Uchiha's first?" He looked up at Kurai with his gleaming bright blue orbs.

"Of course silly, anything for you," she pushed back his hair and kissed his forehead.

Naruto watched her with a curious look that morphed into a questioning expression. He opened his mouth as if to ask something but then closed it, as if unsure. But being Naruto, he couldn't keep it in for long, so after about two seconds he voiced himself.

"Obasan… why don't you hate me?" he asked innocently.

Kurai's features developed into worry, "I'd never hate you Naruto! Why would I ever do that?"

Naruto stared down at his swinging feet, fiddling with his hands, "W-well everyone else hates me so I was just wondering… pweez don't be mad…"

Kurai bent down to his level, just like she had done that day she first met him in the park. Taking hold of his hands, "I'm not mad, I'm happy you said this. If something is bothering you, you can _always _tell me, okay?"

He nodded his head, biting his bottom lip.

"And for the reason that I don't hate you, that's because unlike those other people you're talking about, I was able to see what a nice sweet boy you are. I'm positive if they got to know you better, they would love you too."

He pulled together a smile for her and initiated a hug. Returning the smile, she hugged him back, "Now c'mon, let's get you out of those pajamas."

**-PAGE BREAK-**

A well-dressed young woman and blond-haired boy entered the vast expanse called the Uchiha compound. The fair-skinned lady kept her eyes forward, knowing exactly where to go, while curious eyes were directed towards her and the short boy accompanying her.

Naruto scooted closer to his aunt, for those eyes meant one thing to him, even if he failed to notice that this time it was out of curiosity and not the usual contempt. He had never actually been in this area though he had sneaked a peek from a distance. They were headed towards a well-built house in the backside that was practically as large as their own.

Reaching the front, Kurai knocked on the doors and waited patiently. It was a surprise visit, but she was sure the Fugaku-san would still remember her.

A young boy with piercing black eyes opened the door, "Yes? May I help you?"

Kurai was pretty sure this was the house, so then this was probably Fugaku's and Mikoto's kid.

"I'm here to see Fugaku-san. This is a surprise visit so he wouldn't be expecting me, but is he here?" Kurai asked the boy.

"Father is out but will return home shortly," the boy replied politely.

"Itachi, who's at the door?" Mikoto called out as she walked down the hall towards the entrance, and then stepped into the area.

"Good afternoon Mikoto-san. If I could have a word with you alone, I can explain everything," Kurai proposed.

"Um, of course, come in." Mikoto escorted the pair to their formal living room and everyone took a seat.

"Naruto, come sit here beside me," Kurai patted the seat beside her.

"If he would like to, my younger son, Sasuke, is out back. You may go out to play with him while we talk, if you want Naruto," Mikoto informed him.

Naruto looked down and then glanced up at Kurai, not sure if he should speak.

"Go ahead sweetie, I'll call you in when it's time to go," she instructed, giving him a smile to ease his discomfort.

He gave a slow smile in return and then got up and sauntered out the door leading outside, to the back of the Uchiha home.

"Would you like some tea?"

"Oh, no thank you," Kurai responded.

Mikoto sat upright and clasped her hands on her lap, "So, the reason you are here is…"

Of course Mikoto was curious, I mean who wouldn't be if a young beautiful woman comes to the door claiming she needs to see her husband. She doubted it was anything like that, but one can never be too sure. Though after seeing Naruto beside her, Mikoto was pretty sure it was probably wasn't anything immoral.

"We've never met, but I'm sure in the past, my brother may or may not have mentioned me. And he told me you were best friends with his wife, Kushina, so she might have spoken of me once or twice perhaps…" Kurai faded, hoping to get a reaction from Mikoto.

"Oh! Once or twice! Don't joke with me. They both spoke so much of you all the time. So you're Minato's younger sister! You have no idea how much he talked about you, and then if you knew Kushina, she told me that he talked so much about you, it made her jealous some times. But she knew he just really loved you."

"He talked about me…?" Kurai knew her brother loved her, what, with all those letters he sent her, but she thought that aside from that he probably would have never spoken of her, since it had been so many years in the passing.

"Yes, he spoke very much about you. And we visited each other often, well me and Kushina did at least. You see… after a while, we assumed you had just disappeared, since no news ever came of you after the Fourth Hokage and Kushina, you know…" Mikoto's voice faltered; Kushina's death was still a hard topic for her to discuss.

"Forgive me. I have a few… reasons… as to why I wasn't able to return but I should have still informed someone here of my existence."

"Well it's perfectly alright, you are back now, and I'm assuming you took Naruto under your care too, since he is with you?" Kurai half-questioned.

"Yes… I wasn't going to let my brother's only son live alone at the mercy of those… _vile…_ villagers," Kurai's tone switched to disgust, but she quickly composed herself, not wanting to look impolite to Kushina-san's best friend.

Mikoto glanced away for a moment.

"But Mikoto-san… you knew who Naruto was?" Kurai already knew this conversation wasn't going to end well but these sorts of things bugged her and the words just poured out on their own.

"Um yes dear… Kushina had mentioned him before the birth, and then when I saw him while I took Sasuke to town… he was the exact image of his father, so I knew… why are asking?" Mikoto inquired, though she knew exactly why she was asking.

"Oh no reason in particular, I just thought that you know… you would consider helping him out or taking care of him… since he was your _best friend's_ son and unlike those villagers apparently, you knew who Naruto was and who his parents were," Kurai spoke in an indifferent manner though the disdain behind her voice could be detected if one observed closely.

"But Kurai-san, we have a reputation to hold. I'm sure you would understand," Fugaku interrupted, standing at the room's entry, presumably had been since halfway through of their conversation and had gone unnoticed.

Kurai, as well as Mikoto, stood up in respect, and Kurai gave a slight bow.

"Fugaku-san," Kurai acknowledged, "I'm sorry, but I _don't _understand what you mean."

"Oh it's simple. You see, when you are of a high-class, people look up to you. It wouldn't look very good on us if we took in the village pariah now would it?" Fugaku clarified, his words dripping in ridicule.

He remained standing at the doorway, arms tightly folded, head held high in an authoritarian position.

Mikoto very clearly did not want to joining this conversation, nor be standing there anymore. She loved her husband and would speak back to him if the situation ever called for that, but there were times when he was just awfully frightening and she will say that Kurai definitely had some guts being on the opposing side of her husband. However, this was just not something she was going to take part in. Mikoto kept her eyes on the ground, and stayed silent as a mouse.

'Ah… so this is the reason Mikoto didn't take care of Naruto… This man right here is the reason,' Kurai thought, irritated at this outcome.

Kurai's eyes burned in an anger ten times worse than it was this morning with Kakashi. This was just unforgivable. She stood still, though her hands were curled into small fists.

"How. How could you even _think_ to say something like that? Minato was not only your friend, but your _Hokage_," Kurai retorted.

"Don't assume things, we were never that close," he countered.

"_Yes _you were. Don't lie to my face. I know the exact reason why you're like this. I know how the village elders are suspicious of your clan for the Kyuubi attack. Just because I've been gone does not mean I haven't been updated on the rumors going around. But _still._ My brother considered you one his close friends. How can you live with yourself with that _awful_ mindset?" Her tone remained moderate but the resentment was evident.

Kurai knew she had spoken out of line here since this man was technically her elder, but she couldn't help but blurt out her thoughts, someone had to say it. Someone had to speak for her brother and his son.

"Get out."

Nothing moved for a second, the two just staring back and forth at each other before Kurai spoke out.

"Gladly."

**-PAGE BREAK -**

Naruto had walked to the back but didn't know exactly where this "Sasuke" kid was that the nice lady told him about. He walked further out back, more trees now encircling him.

All was quiet till a small grunt echoed from a distance, and then another. He followed the noise till he found a small clearing in the woods where the resonated the loudest.

Standing behind the wide tree, he peaked off the side and found himself gawking at a young boy throwing kunai at nine different targets set around, out of which he dead-centered four.

Naruto drew closer to take a better look but stepped on a branch that caused a loud crack to reverberate in the clearing, catching Sasuke's attention, who immediately snapped his neck towards the sound only to find a startled blonde staring right back at him.

Sasuke put the kunai in his pocket and walked up to the boy.

"Who are you?"

Sasuke could see the boy was already shaken enough from being caught, so he tried not to be nice.

"Um… Naruto…" the blue-eyed boy whispered, looking at his feet, and shoving his hands into his pockets.

"Can you say that again?" Sasuke was sure he had seen this boy around town with one his rare trips to the market with his mother.

"It's Naruto Uzumaki," he stated a little louder.

"I'm Sasuke."

"I know…"

'He knows?' Sasuke thought.

"Um… Auntie Kurai came to see your dad or somethin' and your mom said you were here… um ya…" he spoke quietly.

"Oh… okay. Well I'm training so you can just sit here I guess," Sasuke suggested.

"That um… that move you did was really cool."

"What move?"

"You know, you threw the kunai on the boards. It was cool," Naruto now spoke up, interested in the topic.

Sasuke was surprised. This was definitely the first time someone had praised him minus Itachi one time, when he came out to watch him, and his mother who gave him his daily dose of admiration but that was all just said that to make him feel better because obviously he wasn't as good as Itachi. At least from his father's perspective. This was different.

"It's not that great…"

"No it was awesome! Can you teach me that?"

"My brother can do better. You should ask him," Sasuke countered.

Sasuke was a nice kid, but his brother was the one everyone wanted and liked and it was probably going to be the same with this blondie.

"Oh, that guy who opened the door… he kinda looked scary… can you teach me please?"

"Scary?"

"Don't tell him that I said that…"

Sasuke internally laughed. That was definitely something he hadn't heard before. So this kid was different.

"I won't. And I guess I can teach you but I'm not very good…"

"Don't be silly, I could never do that. Hey, are you going to the Academy when it starts too?"

"Oh yeah… I am."

"Cool! Now I don't have to worry about not having any friends when I start!" Naruto gave a big grin.

"We're… friends?"

Sasuke didn't know anything about friendship since he never really had friends because he trained all the time and his father was really strict, so he was just going to follow what this kid did. And Naruto seemed to look like he knew what he was talking about.

"Yeah! I mean… if you wanna be friends ya know…" Naruto had hoped this kid wouldn't be like everyone else who avoided him, but chances weren't very high, and he felt like he would be disappointed.

"Okay."

"O-Okay?"

"We can be friends," Sasuke agreed.

"Really?"

Sasuke sighed. "Yes really."

"Alright! So can you teach me that move now?" Naruto was literally bouncing from happiness.

The wind blew and Itachi appeared behind them. Naruto's eyes widened and he slowly creeped closer to Sasuke, who smiled, amused by Naruto's reaction.

"Sasuke, Father is calling and Naruto, Kurai-sama is calling you as well," he reported, staring curiously at Naruto, who had made his foolish little brother smile, something that seemed to rarely occur these days.

"Okay, we're coming," Sasuke answered as Itachi flashed out of view.

"C'mon let's go."

"Aww…" Naruto whined.

"It's okay, I can show you how to do that move next time," Sasuke assured him.

"I can come over again?"

Sasuke gave him another smile, "Yes."

**-PAGE BREAK-**

After Naruto and that pretty lady had left, which was the moment Sasuke and Naruto stepped into the sitting area with his parent's and the lady who came with Naruto, Sasuke's father told him to return to his room. But while Sasuke laid down on his bed, the only thing running through his mind was his father's words prior to Sasuke's dismissal.

"_Sasuke. You are never to see or make any sort of contact with that boy again."_

"_But Father—"_

"_Are you talking back to me?"_

"_No Father…" _

'There goes my only friend,' Sasuke last thought before falling asleep.

* * *

><p><strong>Poor Sasuke. Oh well! I was going to add the Hyuuga meeting in this chapter too but then it would be too long since this chapter took up eight pages. But hope you guys like and are anxious for the next chappie cuz there will also be some more Kakashi and Kurai encounters. <strong>

**Speaking of which, what do you guys think about that pairing? Like, Dislike? Please tell meh! I am a sinking ship here.**

**But other than that: Comments, concerns, snag remarks? All you have to do is click REVIEW! :)**


	6. Another Encounter

**Heyo! It's been forever since I updated and I am soooooooo sorry! Forgive me and my laziness. **

**Anyhoo, here's Chapter 6 with the Hyuuga's! Don't got much else to say, so enjoy the chapter and leave a review! You know how I love those! ;)**

**—DemonicAngel—**

**DISCLAIMER: Don't own Naruto. Dat iz all.**

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><p><strong>CHAPTER 6<strong>

**Another Encounter**

The bitter feeling toward Fugaku Uchiha stuck like a parasite within Kurai all along the walk over to the opposing side of the Hyuuga residence. Her poor brother's hard work was cast away by one of his closest friend's ignorance and false assumptions. However, she understood that the blame for this outcome laid elsewhere, a far place away, but a place she knew well…

The goal for the day had been to see both parties and hopefully the second half of the day would not pass in the same fashion as it's unsettling start.

Kurai grew weary, the encounter with all these old friends proved a much harder task than had been imagined. This is what happens when you are MIA for more than ten years. Kurai perceived it as an oddity that people recalled her existence after such a long while, but the credit goes to her late-brother and sister-in-law who probably kept people informed of her whereabouts and how she was very much alive. But the change in people from six years back to the present was quite dramatic and difficult to adjust to. At least with _some _people it was, *coughFugakucough*. And not only did she have to see the Uchihas and Hyuugas, but being the sister of the Fourth Hokage, there were many other Shinobi, mostly past friends, who she had to meet up with.

But on a more important note, at least her little blonde nephew was enjoying himself so far and hadn't noticed all the action occurring behind him nor realized that much of it concerned him.

Upon entering the beautiful compound, Kurai, not quite recalling where Hiashi Hyuuga's home was, asked a young man walking by for directions. Naruto huddled closely behind Kurai, the strange-eyed people were everywhere and their gazes were all aimed towards his little self, or were they? You could never tell…

The man pointed his finger to the route leading to the noble Hyuuga's abode, all the while his curious eyes stayed put on the unnoticeable blonde hair child attempting to hide himself behind his aunt. Kurai thanked the man and grabbed hold of Naruto's hand so he would walk beside her rather than cling on to her dress, which was now slightly wrinkled in that area.

Spotting the older man outside his house; about to slide open the door, she hurried over to get his attention, "Hiashi-sama!"

The chief Hyuuga made a one-eighty rotation, arms folded against his broad chest, milky eyes surveying the vicinity, landing on the source of the sound.

Kurai closed the distance, Naruto right beside her and gave a short bow. "Hiashi-sama, it's a pleasure to meet with you after all these years."

Hiashi didn't budge, white pupils still locked in on the young woman. "Your name?"

"Oh, forgive me, Kurai," she spoke, "It's been almost—"

"Sixteen years, yes. I was informed of the details of your depart and possible return a few years back. It's quite an occasion to have a Namika—"

"Yes, well," Kurai glanced at Naruto silently standing by her side, his mind most probably elsewhere but it was better to take caution, "Would you mind if we continue this conversation inside?"

Hiashi understood Kurai's implication, "Of course, please come in."

He motioned with his hand and led the way through the foyer to one of the finer sitting rooms for guests. There was pin drop silence within the house aside from the tap of footsteps on the marble flooring.

Naruto stood very close to Kurai, one hand grabbing hold of her dress again, trying to keep himself from the scary Hyuuga man's view.

"So you're taking care of Naruto now? I'm sure both your brother and his wife would have been very grateful," Hiashi spoke sincerely. Kurai gave a small smile and nodded in acknowledgement.

"Would you care for some herbal tea?" Hiashi questioned as they took their seats.

"Oh thank you, but it's really alright, I won't be staying for too lo—"

"I'm sure you can spare a few minutes."

"No it's fi—"

"Hinata!" Hiashi sternly called out his oldest daughter.

Kurai watched as a petite and frail-looking girl wearing the traditional kimono shyly entered the room upon her father's call. Her eyes bowed down, she answered quietly, "Y-yes father?"

Hiashi sat erect, arms folded once more. "Introduce yourself."

Hinata meekly directed her eyes to the two guests before looking down again, twiddling with her fingers, which Hiashi took acute notice of.

"H-hello. I'm H-hi-hinata Hyuuga. It's v-very nice t-to m-meet you," she emitted, trembling slightly.

"I'm delighted to meet you too Hinata," Kurai took the girl's fragile hand and ran her other hand through Hinata's hair, patting her head ever so slightly, giving her a gentle smile. The action startled Hinata more than calm her soul. This sort of affection lacked monumentally within this household following her mother's death a few weeks back. Her father's attitude toward her and everything in general took a negative turn, an obvious effect of losing his beloved wife.

Naruto gawked openly at Hinata. She didn't seem so scary, she actually looked more frightened of him and Kurai rather than the other way around. And here he was worrying about meeting the scary-eyed girl… though her father was a whole 'nother story.

"Go prepare tea for my guests," Hiashi ordered, voice lacking any kindness.

Naruto didn't like the way Hiashi spoke to Hinata. Weren't parents supposed to be nice and love you? What was this guy's problem?

"Y-yes f-father." Hinata turned to her father and gave a short bow before departing.

Kurai's gaze followed Hinata as she quietly made her way out. Feeling heartbroken for the poor girl who already lacked any self-confidence, Kurai was irritated by Hiashi's attitude towards his daughter. What's the matter with the people in this village?

"So, Kurai, have you started training Naruto at all?"

Kurai faintly lifted her brow. "Training? I haven't given it the thought but they'll be starting the Academy soon, so perhaps after he learns the basics I might teach him."

This man must be bipolar. He literally did a one-eighty mood swing. Wasn't he stern and emotionless just a second ago?

"But you should. I would like to see him have a spar with my nephew, Neji. Someone of your skills and background would provide this boy with the best instruction," Hiashi praised.

Kurai's face held a delicate blush, "Thank you Hiashi-sama. It's really an honor to hear that from you."

Hiashi switched his gaze to the door where Hinata made her entry at snails-pace, small fingers tightly wrapped around the tray handles. She trudged her feet through the floor, her skin growing hot from carrying the heavy tray containing the large teapot and cups.

It all went down within seconds where all eyes were on Hinata slowly making her way across the room, and the next minute the contents of the tray slipped to one side, diving towards the ground with a resonating crash.

A small gasp escaped Hinata's lips while Hiashi didn't even flinch; face became one of disgust, lips forming a thin line, his eyes held nothing but rage at his failure of a daughter.

Naruto's mouth had dropped to the ground, blue eyes wide, taking in the scene that occurred before him. Should he go help her? But then he noticed her father, and that kept him from making any movement. Someone do something, he noticed the poor little girl just standing their sputtering out apologies.

"I'm s-s-s-orry f-father. P-please f-f-or-g-give m-me…" Hinata whispered, her face beet red, she bent down to pick up the broken pieces.

Kurai immediately stood up, rushing over to the victim. "Hinata dear, don't touch the pieces, you might hurt yourself. Why don't you go grab me the tray."

Hinata, unsure of what to do, decided to obey and moved over to grab the tray.

Hiashi was furious. Invisible clouds of steam were shooting out of his nostrils. "Kurai, please sit down. You don't need to clean up my daughter's _faults_," Hiashi all but spat out.

Hinata remained quiet in embarrassment. She was a failure in her father's eyes, both as a proper daughter and a worthy kunoichi.

Kurai ignored Hiashi's remarks. Picking up the last of the shattered pieces, Kurai placed them on the silver tray and called Naruto. He let out a relieved breath and walked over to Kurai.

"Yes obasan?"

"Naruto, can you please help carry this tray back for Hinata?" Kurai asked.

Naruto gave her a thumbs-up and smiled, "No prob obasan!"

Naruto picked up the tray with ease, trying to act manly while flashing Hinata a big grin who blushed furiously in response and turned around to direct the way and avoid further embarrassment.

'Well someone seems a little _too_ enthusiastic about this,' Kurai thought, a smirk playing on her lips as she watched Naruto exit with the fragile girl. Absorbed in the current situation, she completely forgot the presence of the fourth member of the room and the smirk abruptly fell off her face.

Once the room cleared of the younger generation, Kurai sat back down, raising a brow at Hiashi. It was time to move past the formalities.

"How old is Hinata?" Kurai asked in a serious tone, sitting back down.

Hiashi paused a moment out of confusion. "Five."

"Should five-year-old little girls be expected to carry a tray weighing more than half their size?"

Hiashi glared at the black-haired woman. "The way I raise my children or what I tell them to do is _none_ of your concern."

"I don't think that the word '_child_' fits how you treat her. Is there something you have against her because I'm sure she couldn't have done anything that caused you to be so cold towards her," Kurai emphasized.

"Tell me Kurai, does Naruto know that you are his blood relative?" Hiashi asked bitterly.

Kurai pursed her lips. "No."

"And why haven't you told him?"

"I'll inform him when the time is right," Kurai stated.

"I don't believe that is the correct answer. You're not telling him. So basically, you are lying to him. Your perception of how I raise Hinata may be horrid, but it's on the same level as you lying to your own nephew's face. Or not even, lying to the Fourth Hokage's son is the worse of the two," Hiashi declared.

"I wouldn't call it _lying_," Kurai stated in defense, "But I have my personal reasons for that, _which you _are not be aware of."

Hiashi snobbishly raised his head, "And I have mine."

The two glared back and forth before Hiashi sighed. "It's true that Hinata does not live up to my expectations, but the way I treat her is how I've always been."

"I find that hard to believe."

"I may have been… _slightly_… different while her mother was still alive, but she's not here anymore and I cannot provide her with that motherly affection. My role is to be her father and that is what I will remain being," Hiashi sat up straight as if to further prove his point.

Kurai's mouth opened to respond as Naruto ran into the room, eyes wide, "Obasan! Obasan! The little girl, the little girl, um what's her name…" he scratched his head, trying to recall, "Oh ya! Hinata-chan! She's… well she's…"

He glanced at the milky-eyed older man before continuing, "Her hand is bleeding and she's not letting me help! I was sayin' I know how to fix it but she wouldn't let me help obasan!"

Hiashi immediately stood up, eyes hardened again.

'Oh for the love of God, will he calm himself,' Kurai thought, exasperated.

She stood up as well, and looked at the Hyuuga in pity, "Please sit. I'll take care of this."

Hiashi's eyebrows scrunched together while one shot up in question.

"Trust me. This is my area of expertise," Kurai assured him, rolling her eyes at his confusion when she turned her back to him. "Naruto darling, can you lead me to her?"

Naruto shrugged, "Sure, but I'm tellin' ya, she's not letting anyone help."

Kurai smiled, "We'll see about that."

—**PAGE BREAK**—

When they found Hinata, she was sitting all curled up into a little ball at the corner of the kitchen with the broken pieces lying beside her. There was a gash on her palm and blood dripped down through her clenched hand.

Kurai's eyes grew wide, "Oh my! Hinata!" She kneeled down in front of the trembling girl.

"What happened?" Kurai inquired, pulling out Hinata's hand from within her chest as gently as possible, "Hinata, you have to let me treat your hand. I promise it won't hurt."

Hinata kept silent while Kurai examined her hand and applied the medical jutsu for healing cuts.

"Naruto, do you know how this happened?" she asked while running her hand over the gash.

Naruto shook himself out of his entranced state, "Umm… well, first, I brought all the broken stuff here to the kitchen, and then I put the stuff down over there and asked Hinata if she wanted to go back to the room but she didn't say anything. She just walked to those broken pieces and tried to put them back together! And I told her to stop, cuz it wasn't just gonna get fixed ya know, but she kept trying and then while she was holding two pieces together, one of them slipped and the pointy part made a big cut down her hand and then," Naruto took another deep breath, "and then I told her to stop, we have to clean the cut, but she wouldn't let me! I know how to do it but she wouldn't let me!"

He folded his small arms and pouted, making an angry face.

Kurai chuckled, "Well I'm sure she didn't mean it, right Hinata?"

"I-I'm sorry N-naruto-kun…" Hinata whispered, bowing her head to hide her incoming blush.

Naruto unfolded his arms, scratching the back of his head. "It's okay Hinata! You don't have to say sorry," he replied, staring at the ground awkwardly.

Kurai smiled at their cute interaction, "Hinata sweetie, do you have a medical supply kit with bandages and those things in here?"

Hinata nodded her head and pointed at the cupboard behind Naruto.

"Naruto can you please get it for me," Kurai asked.

"Sure obasan," he found the small box with the medical supplies in it and brought it over to Kurai.

"Can you take out the medical tape for me, it's the white-colored cloth." He shuffled through the box and found what she asked for, holding it out for her.

Kurai finished healing, and stood up, "Naruto, how about you wrap the cloth around Hinata's hand. You said you knew how to do this, right?"

"Really?" he smiled at her, eyes filled with zeal.

Kurai returned the smile, holding back a smirk, "Of course, as long as Hinata is okay with it."

Naruto turned back to Hinata, speaking softly, this girl just seemed like the type who would break into pieces like that pot if spoken loudly to. "Hinata-chan, is it okay if I can wrap up your hand, please?"

He couldn't really see her face, since she kept it down the entire time, but noticed the small nod of approval. Taking her hand, he slowly and carefully wrapped the cloth around her hand, covering the pink line formed by the cut. The contact caused Hinata to blush profusely, drawing closer to fainting.

"Okay! All done! See, I told you I could do it!" he boasted, a goofy grin decorating his face as he placed her hand back on her lap and got up.

Kurai disposed of the remaining broken pieces just as Hiashi stepped into the room.

"There was just a slight problem, but everything is under control," Kurai declared before the older man could get a chance to speak.

Hiashi glanced from Kurai to Naruto to Hinata, holding his gaze at her hand, before returning to Kurai. "I see. Well thank you for your help. You handled the situation… better than I would have," he admitted.

"You're welcome." Her reply was followed with a short silence, "Well, I did say I couldn't stay too long, so I will have to get going, however I hope you'll visit our home in the near future."

Hiashi nodded, "Of course."

Kurai bent down in front of Hinata, "It was nice meeting you Hinata," she took hold of her hand, "Try to be careful next time, okay?" She set her hand down as Hinata shook her head up and down.

Hiashi walked Naruto and Kurai to the front entrance, where Kurai stopped to face the Hyuuga. She spoke quietly, "About our talk earlier, you said you will act as a father, but being a father doesn't mean that you act cold and harsh all the time. But either way, if Hinata does ever need anything where you're not able to help her, you can always bring her to me."

Hiashi stared back at the blue-eyed woman, before giving his all too familiar nod, "I will if necessary."

Kurai took hold of Naruto's hand once more before departing the Hyuuga's residence.

—**PAGE BREAK—**

Night had fallen and a cool breeze swept through the streets of Konoha all the way to the homes hidden within the forest trees. Kurai had finished putting Naruto to bed and completing any leftover chores in the house.

She went to change her attire to a loose dress and sandals before forming four clones, two of which remained with Naruto and the other two roaming about the house for safety purposes. Once the clones were all in place, Kurai opened the front door and breathed in the fresh night air, stepping out and heading towards the training field.

She first noticed the three posts standing erect in the middle of field when she arrived. Her memory shifted to the photograph Minato sent to her a long time ago with his team of the three young genin.

Making a few hand signs, she formed a single clone of herself at a few meters distance. Breathing in, she closed her eyes, waiting for the clone to charge towards her. A healthy spar with herself, which seems like it wouldn't increase a person's training level but it had a great effect. Over the years of her training away from Konoha, this was one of her warm-up exercises.

Kurai created new techniques when sparring with herself and perfected them when taking notice of her weak points during the spar. It also aided in the control the clone; the self-spar trained it to keep from dispersing at the first hit.

The clone attacked from the front without slowing down, aiming for Kurai's head with a high kick. Eyes still shut, Kurai avoided the kick and quickly brought out a kunai which clashed in sync with the clone's. They both jumped back, and Kurai rushed toward the clone, listening closely to it's footsteps.

Storing away the kunai, she put full force in her hand, ready to make the final blow, only to be stopped when the clone's hand wrapped around her's, skidding back slightly by the force, but proceeding to wrap it's arms around her chest, holding onto her hands and disabling Kurai from making any more movements.

Wait, what? Since when was her clone strong enough to accomplish such a feat? Eyelids fluttering open, she tilted her head to the right to glance at the intruder, causing her to lean back into a muscled chest.

The man rested his chin on her shoulder, his face far too close to hers, "I didn't know you were the type to run around in the middle of the night, sparring against yourself Kurai."

Kurai scoffed, "I didn't know you were a stalker, Kakashi."

Kakashi held on to her tighter, "Who says I wasn't here first?"

"I would have noticed."

"Oh really? You seem extremely confident of yourself."

Kurai pursed her lips, "I have good reason to be."

"And what reason is that?" he leaned in closer, his cheek barely touching hers.

She leaned her head further to the left, "Sixteen years of _only _training makes a person very attentive."

He buried his face in the crook of her neck, "Well you didn't seem to be attentive in this situation." She felt his chest vibrating from the soft laughter.

"I was caught off-guard," she claimed.

"Oh, so are you implying that if this weren't the case, that you would be able to beat me?" he replied, smirking.

"I _know_, without a doubt, that I'd be able to defeat you."

"Care to test that?" he pushed her closer, arms pushing on Kurai's chest.

A gasp escaped her lips, but she just as smoothly replied, "Well we wouldn't want you self-esteem shattered, now would we?"

Kakashi chuckled but left her with no reply, closing his eyes.

"Kakashi?"

"Hmmm..?"

"Let go."

Kakashi formed a smug expression, "No."

Another minute of silence ensued.

"Kakashi?"

"Hmmm…?"

"You. Are. A pervert."

The silver-haired man left her with no reply, and just kept holding her close.

Kurai sighed, "Kakash—"

In one quick movement, he pulled down his mask, used his free arm to rotate her, as he took this chance to plant a soft kiss on her lips.

Kurai's eyes grew wide while she stood still from shock.

Kakashi placed one hand on the back of her neck, sliding his thumb up and down in place, while he lay his other hand on the small of her back, gently pushing her closer.

Aiming for another kiss, he was pushed away. Kurai moved back, quickly facing away as the heat filled her face, her lips parted, taking in small breaths and exhaling.

"I-I have to, um, go check on Naruto. I, I have to go," she breathed out and flashed out of the training field.

Kakashi leaned back against a tree, head tilted upwards, facing the starry blue sky. He pulled his mask up, covering his features once more.

"You may try to run away Kurai, but I'm not letting you go this time…"

* * *

><p><strong>Oh, isn't that just darling. LoL. <strong>

**Umm... so what do you think so far? Hey, if you think this is kind of going slow, I'm sorry, but I need to get in these details before I trample you guys with the intense stuff. And it will get intense, trust me. I gotz the whole story down.**

**Okay, well please REVIEW! **

**REVIEWS are like my fuel.**

**Asta la vista baby... I don't think I spelt that correctly.**


	7. Tough Decisions

**Wow! It has been a while since I last updated hasnt it? Thats partially due to the fact that I started another story, and because I started college! :) LOVE college. **

**But I'm sorry it's been forever, I'll try to update faster. I hope you guys still read this! So, enjoy and please leave a review!**

**Oh, and because I couldn't mention this anywhere else, has anyone read the latest manga? THEY REVEAL WHO TOBI IS AT LAST! K thats all. Have fun reading.**

**—DemonicAngel—**

**DISCLAIMER: Never gonna own Naruto. **

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 7<strong>

**Tough Decisions**

With the morning sunlight shed through the window, Kurai's silhouette was found sitting on Naruto's spacious bed beside the resting boy. One hand trailed through the soft blonde spikes while the other remained idle on her left. Tilting her chin up, she gazed at the ceiling, her head leaning back on the headboard.

She exhaled several times; she hadn't slept through the whole night, a multitude of thoughts stirring within her mind.

It had been almost two weeks since she first arrived to Konoha and two days since Kakashi's kiss. But as of right now, that kiss is something that couldn't consume her time or thoughts. There were a number of things that held precedence over that insignificant event that required attending to.

She glanced at the clock hanging on the wall. It read 6:15 AM.

Scuffling off the bed, she quickly produced a few clones before advancing towards the door out.

** -PAGE BREAK—**

_Knock Knock_

_Knock! Knock! Knock!_

Kakashi cracked open his eyes, checking the time. "…. What the hell? This better not be another mission," he grumbled.

Trudging towards the front door, he turned the lock, slowly opening the door.

"Kurai?" he said, tilting his head.

"Do you seriously wear your mask to sleep?"

He ignored the question. "So is something wrong or," a sparkle ran through his eyes, "are you here for _something _else?"

She rolled her eyes. "Let's _not _talk about that. I'm here to ask for a favor."

Eyebrows scrunching together, "What kind of favor?"

She glanced sideways, "I need you look after Naruto for a little while."

"Why? Where are you going?"

"On a small business trip, just a private matter," she stated.

He raised a brow, "You just got back, what _business_ do you need attending to."

"Nothing you need to know."

"Oh really? And where is this," he made quotation marks with his fingers, "'business trip' anyway?"

She huffed, pursing her lips, "Kakashi, I am going to Suna. I'll be gone for two weeks max and I need someone in the house, taking care of Naruto while I'm gone. Can you or can you not dothat?"

He put his hand on his chin in a thoughtful pose and stared intently at her. "You're not running away are you?"

"_What?_ Of course I'm not running away," she exclaimed, taken aback.

"You could be lying."

She deadpanned. "You're an idiot. Just be at my house by this afternoon, I'll be leaving then."

He folded his arms, "Tch, fine."

"Fine."

"Good."

"Good!" she yelled before vanishing.

He chuckled, shaking his head before shutting his door and going back to bed.

—**PAGE BREAK —**

"Yu-you're leaving?" Naruto pouted.

Kurai's heart melted, "I'm only going for two weeks Naruto, I promise, and then I'll be back. I even got someone really um… _nice _… to look after you. I'll be back before you know it!"

"But I wanna go with you!" he whined.

"Naru-sweetie, I would love to take you with me, but it's dangerous, and I wouldn't want you getting hurt."

"I won't get hurt! I can protect you, pleeease, pretty please?" he gave her his best puppy-dog eyes and pouted.

She planted a big kiss on his cheek, "Nope."

"Aww obasan! You're mean!" he huffed, folding his chubby arms on his chest, and turning his back to her.

She giggled, "I know. But you still love me."

"Do not!" he yelled.

"Do too."

"Do not!"

She circled her arms around him from behind and tickled his sides, "You don't?"

"I d-don't!" he choked out between fits of laughter.

Kurai tickled him harder, "Sure that's your answer?" she flashed him an evil smile.

"O-o-haha-okay! Okay! I do! I swear!"

She stopped and smiled, "Thought so." He stuck his tongue out at her.

_Ding-dong! _

'He actually used the door? I'm impressed,' Kurai thought.

"Naruto, why don't you go get the door?" she asked.

"Is that who's gonna take care of me while you're gone?" he questioned.

"Mhmm."

Naruto ran to the front entrance and opened up the door to see the masked man again.

Kakashi smiled, "Why hello Na—" his words were cut off with the door slammed to his face.

Kurai rushed to the blond boy, "Naruto! That was very rude!"

"But I don't like him obasan!" he complained.

"And why is that?"

"He's weird."

Kakashi sweat dropped outside the door, overhearing the conversation.

"Well I'm sorry Naruto, but that is not any reason to slam the door at his face. Now you go open that door and apologize."

"But obasaaan," he whined.

"No buts. C'mon, I'm waiting."

Naruto sighed, opening the door and facing the copy-cat ninja once more.

Kakashi stared down at him, smirking behind his mask in triumph, which Naruto clearly saw.

"Sorry," he mumbled.

Kakashi leaned down, hand cupped by his ear, "I didn't catch that, could you say that a little louder?"

"Sorry!" he yelled before running back to the kitchen.

"What a pleasant entry," Kakashi stated sarcastically while walking in.

"It's the mask."

"What?" he narrowed his eyes.

"That mask. It makes him suspicious of you," she explained.

"It's not the mask."

"It's the mask."

"No it's not."

"Just take it off Kakashi."

"No."

"_Take it off_," she pressed.

"Fine."

"Take i— wait what?" she backtracked.

"I'll take it off."

"Really?"

"Sure, but of course I have to get something in return."

"Okay fine. What is it?"

"Go on a date with me."

She scoffed, "Pick something else."

"If you want me to take my mask off to make Naruto more comfortable, then this is what you'll have to do," he declared, lips forming a smirk.

She sighed, "Whatever, fine. One date, nothing else. And don't expect me to be happy while doing this."

He took off his mask and gave her a genuine smile, leaning in closer, "Don't worry, your presence is all that matters to me."

Her heart skipped a beat, blood rising to her face. And here she thought his physique was attractive enough, his face along with it was too much to handle. He watched her, amused by her reaction.

Clearing her throat, she walked off, with Kakashi trailing behind her. "I'll go through everything quickly, I do need to depart soon."

Walking upstairs, she pointed out Naruto's bedroom, "This is Naruto's room, I bought him a whole new wardrobe, so I expect him to wear decent clothing everyday and be clean, and you make sure of this." Kakashi nodded listening closely. "He better shower everyday, God knows how much that boy runs around and gets dirty so you check on that too."

She walked to her bedroom, opening a box placed on top of the dresser. "Here are all the medical supplies you could possibly ask for in case Naruto gets sick or hurt or anything. If he does get extremely ill and it's something that you're not able to handle, then just take him to the hospital, otherwise I prefer that you help him out at home."

She walked out of her room, "You can stay in the guest room across the hall, the one next to Naruto's room."

Kakashi stopped, leaning on the wall, hands in his pockets, "Why can't I just stay in your bedroom?"

"Because that's my bedroom," she stated.

"That's not a reason."

"That's reason enough for me, and don't you even think of going in there unless it's for those medical supplies, which I doubt you'll even need between now and when I get back. Got it?"

Kakashi saluted with his hand, "Yes ma'am."

Kurai rolled her eyes, "Idiot."

Walking back down the stairs, "Oh and lastly, the kitchen is stocked with all the food in the world. I'm sure you know how to cook, so I want Naruto to be eating more than just ramen for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. He better be in a healthy state when I return, otherwise that date you want will be replaced with my wrath. Understood?"

Kakashi came to a halt before walking through the kitchen doors. Kurai turned to the silence lying behind her.

"What?" she asked.

"I was just wondering…" he began, "… about how lucky Minato-sensei was to have someone like you. I'm sure he would be very grateful if he was still with us today."

Kurai darted her eyes away from the piercing black one, "Thank you… I hope he would be."

She turned around and entered the kitchen where Naruto sat finishing his lunch. He looked up and put a smile on for Kurai that faltered as Kakashi shortly followed behind her.

Kakashi gave him a reassuring smile and went to sit in the chair adjacent to his. "So you said you wanted to be Hokage right?"

Naruto stared at his face, a little unsure at the new sight of the masked ninja without his mask. "Um-uh yeah…"

"Well the Hokage needs to know some cool ninja moves, doesn't he? If you're okay with me staying I could show you some," Kakashi offered.

"Really?!" Naruto jumped up shouting.

"Of course."

"Yes! C'mon let's go now!" Naruto tugged on his sleeve.

"Okay, but first, let's go say goodbye to your obasan."

Naruto recalling that thought, frowned, "Oh yeah… okay."

Kurai grabbed her bag, carrying it on her back. "Naruto, you behave and don't give Kakashi too much trouble okay?" She rubbed his head, messing his hair.

"I won't…"

"Good. Now smile for me. It's just two weeks, and then the Academy starts in a month too and you'll be going to school with Sasuke and Hinata, so you should look forward to that."

He gave a small smile and hugged her tightly. "Come back soon, imma miss you."

"I'm going to miss you too sweetheart."

"Kurai…" Kakashi whispered. "What do I do if I have a mission?"

"You decline," she shrugged.

"But…"

"Just decline."

She let go of Naruto and headed out the door, "I love you Naru. I'll be back soon."

—**PAGE BREAK—**

SAND VILLAGE: TWO DAYS LATER

The streets were clear of people, the moon lighting up the roads, giving the place a grim and uninviting atmosphere. A young red-haired boy ran through the streets, carrying a brown package. Reaching his destination, he knocked on the wooden door of a resident's house. A boy of his age with spiky hair cracked the door open and peered through.

Gaara smiled, holding up the small package in his hands at the boy, "Sorry about earlier, I know it must have hurt. I brought you some medicine."

The boy stared at him angrily. "Get outta here!" he grumbled.

Gaara's hands slowly lowered to reveal grief-stricken eyes and a frown replacing his cheerful mind-set. The package slipped from his fingers and dropped to the ground. He turned around, shoulders slumped, and walked off. Ignorant of the world, his gaze followed the pavement he wandered on when he accidentally bumped into someone. Gaara looked up at the individual as she put her hand on his shoulder to steady him.

"I'm sorry, are you okay?" she asked in concern.

"Y-yes. I'm okay," he mumbled, a little surprised.

"That's good," she smiled. "But you shouldn't walk by yourself at night, it's dangerous."

"I'm sorry…"

"You don't have to apologize. Just be careful and hurry home."

Gaara nodded his head, and walked off, but not toward his house. His heart still hurt and he couldn't go home yet. He found his way on top of one of the towers and sat on the stone railing, thoughts consumed by the medicine the boy from earlier had rejected and then that mysterious young lady he encountered.

He was curious of this new tone she spoke to him with; it was unfamiliar and he tried placing where he had heard it before. She was definitely the first person to address him like so. A light blinked in his mind as he identified her manner of speaking; it was the same as his uncle Yashamaru's.

It was at this moment that he felt something come at him from behind, and just as swiftly, his sand emerged to protect him. Gaara stood up quickly and turned around, his eyes widening at the man prepared to strike at him again.

— **- —**

"C'mon. Hit me."

Naruto punched Kakashi's palm with his fist, using all the effort stored in his chubby little body. Kakashi didn't budge, nor flinch. "That all you got?"

Naruto huffed, clenching his fist and taking another shot with a bit more force. "I don't wanna do this! I thought you said you were gonna teach me some cool moves!"

"Hmm…" Kakashi snapped his book shut, tucking it into his pocket, "I do recall saying that."

"So?! Are you gonna tell me it?" Naruto said, bouncing on his feet.

"Uh… No." Kakashi smirked.

"But whyyyyy _noooot_?" Naruto whined.

"Because, to do that _cool_ move, you need to have some strength and speed. And from what I can see, you have neither."

"I can too be fast!"

"Oh really?"

"Uh huh!"

A fiendish look polished over Kakashi's face. "Is that so?"

"Y-ya…" Naruto took a nervous step back.

"Why don't we test that."

"W-whatcha talkin' a-about?"

"Run Naruto."

— **- —**

Kurai heard a scream resonating from outside her window, she pushed it open to hear and see nothing but a full moon hovering in the sky. She shook her head, sighing. "Place is strange enough, and on top of that I'm beginning to hear things…"

Her journey to the Sand Village went smoothly and without any disturbances on the way. But the place itself was the opposite of her voyage. The cold night and darkness looming over the city gave her the creeps. Closing the window and locking it, she changed her attire and settled into bed.

— **- —**

Gaara eyed the morning light brightening his room. He was sitting on his bed curled into a small ball with his hands around his knees. He wasn't able to sleep all night. Not that he was able to sleep _ever_, but last night was different. He killed his uncle. He _killed_ his uncle. "What have I done?" he whispered to himself for the hundredth time. What bothered him most was that his uncle was trying to kill him.

The image flashed through his mind again: He slowly took off the mask, only to reveal Yashamaru's face. Blood mixed with tears were flowing down his cheek and Gaara couldn't bear to look anymore.

"_I hate you Gaara._" The words echoed through the young boy, the ache in his heart growing stronger.

"Why Yashamaru, why?" he cried, hands gripping the sides of his head.

— **- —**

Kurai walked down the sandy streets, glancing at the small markets. 'I should get something for Naruto…' she smiled thinking about her adorable little nephew. She strolled by one market, peering at what it offered, and then the next, and then the next.

"This place doesn't have much, does it…" she spoke mutely to herself when she noticed the same small redheaded boy from the previous night. He was walking through the streets again with his gaze to the ground. People seemed to vacate the area whenever he passed by.

She knew he was a jinjuriki but the fact that people feared him caught her interest and her mind immediately compared him to Naruto. The residents of Konoha despised Naruto but reacted in a totally different direction. Fear wasn't in their vocabulary when it came to the blonde boy that held the nine-tails within him, and yet here, the populace tried to avoid this child at all costs.

A thoughtful expression graced her features as she swiftly made her way into one of the stores.

Gaara didn't know why he was out here; he had felt the need to get out of that house, as if Yashamaru's ghostly presence was haunting him. Out here, he saw the truth, the hatred people fired towards him. He was walking through reality. Yashamaru had fed him lies, which only led to sorrow. Oh, how cruel the world could be sometimes, he realized love was merely some idea fostered into his brain that brought nothing but disappointment.

He heard a gasp escape behind him. Turning his head to see where it came from, his eyes landed on the same woman from yesterday. There were two huge bags and a smaller one full of assorted items that were scattered across the ground. He guessed she must have dropped them, which is probably why she gasped. His feet were glued to the spot he was standing on, just gawking the woman. She looked up and their eyes briefly met, "Excuse me sweetheart, would you mind helping me with these bags?"

Where was the fear? There was absolutely no fear in her eyes. She didn't even avoid eye contact as most people do, nor did he feel any sort of fright being emitted. There must be someone up there trying to mess with him.

He didn't advance for a minute, just watching the woman try to pick up all her purchases, but eventually he took a hesitant step forward. Then another, and another, till he found himself retrieving one of her fallen items and carrying it to her.

Raising his hands up, she took it from him, and he took this chance to scan her face. There was no harshness in her expression, no hidden motive as far as he could see. Unless she was able to brilliantly cover her façade, all he perceived were soft features with good intentions. But then again wasn't that how it was with Yashamaru?

"Thank you," she smiled, "If it's not too much trouble, can you help me take these back to where I'm staying? It's only a few minutes walk."

Gaara didn't speak, but nodded. She handed him the smaller bag while holding the larger two with unexpected ease. The young boy seemed a little suspicious of the lady, but silently followed her to her place. "I was having a hard time carrying all these things, and there wasn't anyone around to help, so I just want to thank you again."

'There was no one _around_ because of me,' he wanted to say, but kept his mouth shut.

Boy, he was a tough one to talk to, Kurai thought. He hadn't said a word and apparently he wasn't one for conversation either. Where most kids would chatter away, he was surprisingly quiet, complete opposite of Naruto. She couldn't help but compare the two jinjuriki children and how completely distinct they were.

They reached the small motel and she went inside with Gaara trailing behind her. Thankfully the halls were clear of people, so Gaara didn't have to worry about people staring at him or running away. She unlocked her room door, and set her bags down on the bed, taking the one Gaara was holding. She turned away from him to dig through one of her bags and pull out two small stuffed animals from the bag, holding them in front of Gaara. "I bought these for my nephew, he's about the same age as you, but I can't decide which one to give him. Which one do you like?" she asked for his opinion, hoping to coax him into talking.

He eyed the two furry animals, taking a liking to the furry one on the right as he pointed his index finger at it. She smiled, putting away the fox, and raising the little raccoon that he had chosen towards his face. "Here's a little gift for you for being so kind and helping me with my bags."

Gaara blinked, confused, but carefully grabbed the raccoon toy from her hands. Gaara wasn't sure what to day, but at last he let out a soft "Thank you."

—**PAGE BREAK—**

"Watcha doing?"

Kakashi craned his neck to see a blonde boy standing at the doorway.

"_Nothing_… just enjoying the outside view," Kakashi lied, quite badly, as he was standing not anywhere near the window.

"You're not supposed to be in obasan's room," Naruto folded his arms.

"I thought I dropped something in here, so I just came to check."

"Liar! I'm gonna tell obasan!" Naruto yelled.

"So this is what Kurai meant when she said she would know…" Kakashi guessed.

"Imma tell her and then she'll be super mad at you!"

"Hey, now wait just a minute…." Kakashi said. This kid was so not going to let this go.

"What?"

"If you don't tell her, I'll treat you to some ramen." Kakashi knew he hit Naruto's weak point, and it was mean of him to take advantage of that but sometimes you just gotta do what you gotta do.

Naruto thought about this for a second, this was probably the hardest decision of his life. "Well…."

"C'mon, what do you say?" Kakashi urged.

"No! I can't! I'm gonna tell!"

"I'll show you that cool move."

Naruto bit his lip, "And ramen too?"

Kakashi sighed, "And ramen too."

Naruto beamed, "Okay, deal!"

—**PAGE BREAK—**

Kurai rested on a branch of a large leafy tree, scanning her surroundings inconspicuously. Her second week at the Sand Village had just begun, and within the last week she had encountered Gaara twice after the incident with the bags that she dropped. Each time, though, all that happened was that he passed her by on the streets and she sent a smile in his direction, which he returned the second time. She had heard rumors that were flying around about how he had killed some supposed innocent man last week, which was probably the reason why most people were so keen on keeping their distance from him lately. And that was also where she overheard his name, Gaara. The Kazekage's son.

She could feel something had been bothering the young boy, for every time she saw him, a disturbed expression was stamped on his face.

Kurai noticed a number of children playing in the field a few feet away. And then her head turned to the green-eyed boy that entered the area. He came closer to them, and eventually they became aware of his presence, glancing at each other before rushing off.

Gaara clenched and unclenched his fist, shaking. Something was very obviously bothering him, and those kids seemed to have pushed him to his limit. Kurai jumped off the tree, realizing afterward that that was probably not the best thing to do as Gaara's sand flew toward her. She let his sand envelope her, tightening its hold.

Gaara trembled, his eyes wide and filled with uncertainty. "Gaara," Kurai voiced.

His head immediately snapped up from the acknowledgment. "I know you don't want to do this."

The sand's grip grew stronger, causing her to inhale sharply, but she remained calm so as to not trigger anything from within Gaara. She could _feel_ the resentment he held for the world in each grain of sand pressing against her.

"I'm not here to hurt you."

"Y-you're lying!" Gaara cried out, tears forming at the rim of his eyelid.

"I promise I won't hurt you. I have no reason to."

"You're just here to kill me too! Just like everyone else my father sends!" Ah. The dear Kazekage trying to kill his son. No wonder Gaara turned out this way.

"Gaara. Look at me. _Look_ at me." His eyes trailed up to meet the lightening blue orbs. "I promise. I won't hurt you."

Gaara's face was completely distressed but he abruptly let her go, recovering his sand. His hands gripped the side of his head in agony. Kurai hurried to his side, and took hold of Gaara's hand, gently moving them away from his head and onto his sides. "I promise, I'm not here to hurt you."

—**PAGE BREAK—**

"'Kashi," Naruto began.

"Mhmm?" Kakashi answered, half-listening.

The two were sitting in Naruto's bedroom, where Kakashi was relaxing on his bed, holding his Icha Icha Paradise book in one hand, and sipping his green tea with the other. Naruto was quietly thinking in one corner while playing with the few brand-new toys Kurai had bought for him before leaving.

"You like obasan, don't you?" Naruto bluntly stated.

Kakashi choked on his tea, sputtering, "I-I'm sorry, what?"

"I know you do," Naruto informed him with a devious smile.

"And what if I do?" Kakashi replied coolly, recovering from his slip.

"Well I just wanna tell you that she only loves me," Naruto stuck his tongue out at the older man.

'Boy, does this kid have some confidence. And a bad-ass attitude,' Kakashi thought, smirking.

"If you're so sure, why don't you just ask her when she gets back?"

"I will! And you'll see, she'll pick me!" Naruto assured him.

"Uh huh." Kakashi knew she would pick Naruto without a doubt, but it was entertaining to mess with blonde kid. Kakashi guessed if he ever had a little brother, this was probably how it would feel like.

"Whataya mean 'uh huh,' huh?" Naruto shouted.

"Like I said… we'll see when she gets back."

—**PAGE BREAK—**

A loud knock sounded from outside Kurai's door. Two days prior, Gaara had his outburst, and she hadn't sighted the small boy since. Getting up from the chair she was seated on, she unlocked the door to see four guards standing in position with their masks covering their identities. She smiled internally; she had been expecting them to show up at her door for a few days now.

"Yes?" she asked.

The guard to the right spoke, "The Kazekage demands your presence immediately. He has ordered us to escort you to his premises."

"May I ask what for?"

"He didn't give a reason," the guard replied stoically.

"Okay, let's go." She closed her door and followed the two up front while the other two guards remained close behind, in case she would flee. 'My, the Kazekage sure has some security issues,' she thought.

The five arrived at the large towers of the Kazekage and they took her to the main hall where the Kazekage was.

"You're dismissed," the Kazekage said to the four men. As soon as they left, he began his interrogation. "What is your name?"

"My name is Kurai, Kazekage-sama," Kurai answered, hoping he wouldn't ask for her last name.

The Kazekage raised his brow, but prodded no further. "What is the purpose of your stay in my village?"

"I was on my way back to Konoha, but I had been travelling for long so I decided to stop here for a few days to rest," she lied smoothly.

"Is there something you want from Gaara?" Ah, she had been waiting for him to bring forth this topic.

"No, I have nothing that I want from him," Kurai answered without any extra details that would make the Kazekage question her further.

"I have been watching your encounters with the boy, especially the one that occurred two days ago." She kept quiet, waiting for him to continue.

"From what I saw, you don't fear him, like many do." Kurai awaited the climax of his speech.

"And for that reason, I am ordering you to kill him." Kurai's eyes flickered to meet the Kazekage's. So that was what he was aiming for.

"Kazekage-sama, I would assume from all the previous attempts to assassinate your son, that you would have figured its near impossible to do so," she stated. Though, she wouldn't mention the fact that she could kill the jinjuriki boy without getting killed herself if she needed to.

"And how do you know that I've done this before?"

"Your son blurted it out during his outburst." She could see how his expression twisted every time she said 'your son' instead of Gaara.

"Unless you have a better proposition, the order to assassinate the boy remains," he bid, his voice cold. No wonder Gaara was the way he is. His father failed to give him what every jinjuriki requires most.

"I do actually."

"And what may that be?"

"I could take Gaara under my care."

"Do you actually expect me to take that boy out of my sight? The only viable option is to kill him."

"Kazekage-sama, do you know of the jinjuriki boy in Konoha?" she asked, slowly persuading him towards her argument.

"I do," he replied curtly.

"Well currently, I am the caretaker for that boy. I know you do not know me, but _I _know what jinjuriki children need, what they want, and how to keep them in control and not burst out from within. So I am asking again, for you and your village, to let me take Gaara under my care."

The Kazekage thought over this. "Okay."

Kurai was surprised at the man's consent. "But there are conditions."

"Of course."

"If the Shukaku comes out of Gaara at all, then you must kill him immediately." Kurai didn't feel sure about that one, but agreed anyways.

"I will also have two of my guards come by every so often to give me a full report on his state for the next year. Anything short of perfect and once again you will be ordered to assassinate him."

"And lastly, I do not want the Hokage knowing of this agreement." Kurai bit her lip on that one. She completely forgot about the Hokage. He probably was going to find out anyways, so she would have to secretly speak to him of this matter, without having the Kazekage knowing.

"Certainly. This conversation won't leave this room," she lied again. So basically, his conditions were don't tell the Hokage and the slightest mistake you have to kill Gaara. Well this might prove a challenge.

"Good," the Kazekage called for one his guards.

"Bring Gaara here." The guard nodded, and flashed out only to be back five minutes later with Gaara by his side.

"You may leave," he instructed the guard. His eyes focused on his son. "Gaara."

Kurai observed how he held on to the little raccoon stuffed animal she gifted him last week. Gaara's eyes flashed to his father, but he abruptly stared at the carpet. "Gaara, this is your new guardian. You will live with her from now on, and you will go to Konoha with her. Is that understood?" Gaara's eyes widened, what was his father saying? He was probably deceiving him again and finding another way to kill him. He was sure of it.

"_Is that understood_?" the Kazekage repeated again with more emphasis.

"Y-yes," Gaara timidly replied.

"Now leave. Your stay here has been long enough. You will depart from here tonight."

—**PAGE BREAK—**

Kurai had helped Gaara pack all his belongings after she packed her own. He didn't utter a word the whole time and they were about to leave the village. Standing at the gate, they stopped as he gave one look back at the place.

"Ready?" Kurai whispered softly.

Gaara nodded.

They set off, it was going to take at least two days to get there. Gaara was weary of the situation. He expected any moment she would disappear or try to kill him or something of the sort, but he kept those thoughts to himself and stayed aware of his surroundings.

—**PAGE BREAK—**

They finally reached the outside gates of Konoha. In their two-day journey, Gaara stayed by Kurai's side, he didn't attempt to run away nor did she try to spark a conversation. What she did figure out though was how he didn't sleep at night. At all. She wondered why but figured it had to do something with the one-tails within him. She would have to ask him about that eventually.

Making there way inside, they walked side by side to the Namikaze residence, when Kurai stopped suddenly causing Gaara to stop as well and watch her. Kurai inhaled and listened to everything around her.

"Gaara. I want you to stay here for a few minutes." She finally turned and bent her knees, coming eye-level to Gaara. "Can you please do that? Just wait here for a few minutes?"

So this was it, Gaara thought. She or someone was going to kill him now. "Don't move, and if anyone comes by, don't talk to them, okay?" He nodded.

"I'll be back soon." She stepped away and made a hand signal, flashing out of view.

Kurai ran quickly, she had smelt blood in the air, and it was coming from nearby. She jumped up and onto the top of the houses. From the top she could see a few bodies lying on the ground, dead. Something wasn't right. She spotted a small raven-haired boy running through the streets. Oh God. Sasuke.

"Kurai-sama." She turned around to face Itachi Uchiha.

"Itachi."

"You aren't supposed to be here."

"And yet I am."

"I will ask you to leave, otherwise I won't be responsible for killing you."

"Itachi, why did you do this? Why?" she asked painfully.

"I'm sorry, but that's a private matter."

"What about Sasuk—"

"I won't kill him."

"Then what? What will you do to him? He's going to live in agony for the rest of his life."

"What I plan to do to him will only help him get stronger."

"Itachi, you're smart. But you're still young and naive. You don't know how this will affect Sasuke. It will kill him inside. If you want him to grow up strong, don't feed him lies. Don't mess with his mind. Itachi, think about Mikoto, she wouldn't have wanted this."

She saw the hurt in Itachi's eyes.

"I'm sorry, but I have to do this." His eyes met hers and she stared right back into them as he attacked. Just as fast, Kurai grabbed onto his arm with one hand and striked his chest with the other.

"Please don't do this, I don't wish to kill you too."

"Itachi. I can assure you, that _that_ is impossible."

He didn't budge and she didn't move. She stared into his eyes and frowned. "You're joining _them_ aren't you?"

Itachi eyebrows scrunched in confusion. "How did you know?" She heard a loud piercing shriek resound below.

"_Sasuke_," they both whispered.

"Itachi, just go." Itachi looked at her. "_Just go_," she pressed. He nodded and sped away.

—**PAGE BREAK—**

Gaara patiently waited in the exact spot Kurai told him to stay at. Any time now, he thought. Any time now, someone would pop up and kill him.

No one came to kill him, but someone did come. Two people actually. The first was Kurai, and the second was an unconscious boy with dark-hair in her arms.

* * *

><p><strong>That. Is alot to take in. Lol. <strong>

**So nothing might not make sense to you as of right now... or maybe it does. But I promise this is all has to happen for later chapters. I wish I could just give you a big summary of what happens cuz Im growing impatient myself of not being able to tell you guys the climax of this story...**

**Okay well anyways, I didn't edit this chapter so there might be a few mistakes, so dont mind those. **

**Hope you liked it! Please leave a review!**

**It's super easy to do it now! Down here.**

**VV**

** V**


	8. Author's Note

**AUTHOR'S NOTE**

**Hey guys! Unfortunately this is not a new chapter but please don't get too mad... **

**Though I would understand if you did, I hate it when other authors do this to stories that I read but try to bear with me.**

**I just wanted to put this up to inform everyone who's reading my story that I have NOT given up on it.**

**I most definitely plan to go through with it all the way to the end.**

**Thats a promise.**

**The only reason its taking a while is because its my first year in college and I have a lot of things to do. **

**I'm far too busy for my own liking because I barely get time to write. **

**I will say that I am in the middle of writing the next chapter so it is partially done, I just have to find time to sit down and finish it.**

**I hope you'll continue to read my story and follow it.**

**And to all those people who have stayed with it, thank you so much! Especially all the reviewers! You guys have the nicest things to say! It makes me so happy to know that people actually enjoy reading my stories.**

**I will try to update faster, hopefully soon...**

**-****- DemonicAngel-**


	9. Nightmares

**Hello my lovelies! My gosh it has been way too long. You have no idea how long this chapter has just been sitting, waiting to be finished. Well I just finished it. Kinda short, I know.**

**Just think of this as an appetizer, and the next chapter is the main course. It will definitely be much more fulfilling than this chapter. I didn't really like this one all that much if you ask me. **

**But whatevs. **

**You can't just skip to the fun scenes, it wouldn't make sense that way lol. I wish you could. But you can't. **

**I keep failing to mention this but thank you to all of you who follow the story and review! It honestly feels so nice to hear from you. I want to give a quick mention to Miss Marty who made a lovely drawing of Kurai for us on deviantart under "Kurai-Namikaze-325191206" so go check it out if you can! Thank you so much for that!   
><strong>

**It was back in september that she made it so I don't know if it is still up...**

**Wells, enjoys the chapterzz! Oh and while you're here please go check out my new story "Transparent."**

**—DemonicAngel—**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 8<strong>

**Nightmares**

Kakashi settled the unconscious Uchiha boy on the bed in the vacant room adjacent to the one he'd been rooming in.

"Gaara seems to like his new quarters… at least I think he does," Kurai said as she walked in, a glass of water and damp towel in her hand.

The masked man stood upright and folded his arms, facing her. "I did as you told me, now explain."

Kurai sighed, pushing him aside to tend to Sasuke. "I'll meet you in kitchen in five minutes."

Giving her one last look, he shoved his hands into his pockets and departed from the bedroom. Kurai took the towel and wiped the sweat off his face, the poor boy. What was she going to tell him when he woke? This was definitely not something she had expected. Having to take care of Naruto and Gaara didn't seem like it would be too difficult, but now with this whole troublesome event in her hands, there was no knowing how things would play out.

Folding the towel in half, she pushed back his bangs and placed the cloth on his forehead. "Things won't be so easy from now on, but I hope you'll keep strong." She left the glass of water on his nightstand; he'll be parched when he wakes.

— - —

She found Kakashi leaning against the countertop when she entered the kitchen. Seating herself on a chair at the dining table, she ushered him to do the same. He reluctantly obeyed, walking over to sit across her.

"So _please_ tell me, what is going on? Because I don't know if you could tell, but you just carried an unconscious Uchiha boy and Kazekage's son, who in fact is a jinjuriki and haven't given me a single explanation since you set foot through the door." The anger was evident in his tone.

Kurai pursed her lips. "Well I apologize, but I couldn't exactly tell you at the moment. Gaara was with us and what I had to say wasn't for him to know.

"And what is it that you had to say?"

"Give me a second." She made a few hand signals and three clones appeared. Giving them a brief nod, they withdrew from the room. Kakashi heard the front entrance door open and then shut. He turned back to Kurai, brow raised.

"I'm only being cautious," Kurai insisted. "Look, about an hour ago I was returning from the Suna and was only a short distance away from home when I sensed something awry."

She breathed in, her voice falling to a whisper. "The entire Uchiha clan…"

Kakashi prompted her to continue.

"The entire Uchiha clan, save Sasuke," she paused, "and Itachi, were massacred."

"They were _massacred?_" he repeated, incredulous. "Why weren't Sasuke and Itachi…?"

"Because Itachi was the one to do it."

Kakashi rubbed the sides of his temple with his index and middle fingers. "I don't understand what Itachi would gain from doing something like that," Kurai pondered.

"Itachi wasn't doing this to profit in some way; he was simply obeying orders."

"Whose orders?"

"Those of Konoha's council, and the Hokage."

Kurai eyes widened. "The Hokage would never do such a thing!"

"Kurai… this isn't Minato, this is Sarutobi-sama. And though I doubt this was entirely his doing, the council does have a huge influence on some of the major decisions being conducted."

"But why would they do that to begin with? The Uchiha clan hasn't committed any crimes, at least not any worth resorting to murder."

Kakashi laughed a short scornful laugh. "Maybe not in our eyes, but definitely in theirs."

You don't know this, but Itachi was a two-way spy. He worked for the higher-ups of the village as well as those within his own clan, chiefly his father.

It was well known amongst the council and us anbu as well, thanks to Itachi, that the Uchiha were planning a coup and this was seen as a huge threat. If they actually attacked, then the whole village would go into chaos and surrounding villages would soon find out, see us as vulnerable, and attack. Everyone was already becoming suspicious of them so it was only a matter of time." Kurai's expression grew hard with each and every word. Everything was making slowly making sense and at the same time nothing was.

Kakashi stopped, letting Kurai consume all this new information. "Look, I'm not supposed to be telling you this, its classified Intel but you've already seen too much to not know at this point."

Kurai looked disgusted. "So you… you knew this was going to happen?"

"No." She relaxed a little. "I didn't know that they would send Itachi to kill everyone. I had assumed, because this was decided in the last meeting, that they were simply going to call them out on their plot and decide on how the Uchiha should fair from there but this massacre… that's news to me. I had no knowledge of this."

"And if you did?" she prodded.

"Even if I did," he shook his head, "there was really nothing I could have done."

"I suppose there is nothing _to_ be done but stay quiet about the matter," Kurai resigned.

"That's how it should stay until the reports reach the public. Then it'll be somewhat safe to discuss this."

"I realized that," Kurai said, closing the conversation. She pushed back her chair to leave but was stopped when Kakashi grabbed her wrist.

"Aren't you forgetting something?" Kakashi pulled her wrist and she fell back onto her seat with a thud.

Kurai shook off his hand. "_What?_"

"The Kazekage's son?" He retreated his hand, cupping his face with it, tapping his cheek with his index finger and waiting persistently.

"Kakashi, can we not talk about this in the morning?" she muttered. "I'm tired and have had more than my day's filling of grievous episodes."

When Kakashi got a better look at her, he noticed the fatigue on her face. She was drained of all energy, and he almost gave in. "No… in the morning you'll be swamped with three boys and for your own good, you should tell me."

"How will telling you right now benefit me?" she said crisply.

Kakashi gravitated closer to her. "What if someone drops by and asks about the boy?"

"Though that is highly unlikely, you're good with words. I'm sure you'll manage to foster up some excuse. You don't seem to lack in that department," she snapped.

"Enough Kurai. Just tell me," he pressed.

Kurai bit down her lip to keep from flaring out. God, she was exhausted. "I went to the sand village, encountered Gaara a few times by chance, his father noticed, called upon me, ordered me to kill him, I proposed a counter offer, one that would keep Gaara alive and under my custody, he surprisingly relented, and that brings us to the present." She took a deep breath. "Now I haven't seen my nephew all this while so if you'll excuse me…"

"Wait," Kakashi said.

"What _now_?"

"Just answer one more question, Naruto is sleeping anyways, I'm sure he won't mind lending me a few more minutes."

"Fine. One question and that's it."

"Its not any secret that the Kazekage has attempted to end his son's life time and time again, but why did the Kazekage send for _you_ to kill the boy? What do you mean when you say that 'he noticed you?'"

"That's two questions."

Kakashi shrugged and Kurai rolled her eyes but answered nonetheless.

"Whenever I met Gaara—the boy was always wondering through the streets alone—I didn't run away or cower in fear. I treated him as I would any other child and I saw how it affected him."

"And so did his father," Kakashi voiced.

Kurai nodded. "And so did his father. He's only a child and children have an inclination to trust those who bestow on them even a bit of kindness. Naruto was that way when I first met him, and Gaara was no different."

"It's easier to get close to someone who has trust in you," Kurai said sorrowfully, "And with that trust, just as easy to hurt them. His father must have known that otherwise he wouldn't have bothered to send for me."

Kakashi agreed. "I see."

"I know you're smart enough to know this, but I will tell you regardless. Do not tell anyone who the boy is. The Kazekage will have his men sent to check over the boy occasionally and he had told me not to tell the Hokage about our deal so I'm guessing he doesn't want anyone else knowing either."

"You're not honestly going to keep this from the Hokage?" Kakashi inquired. The Hokage would find out eventually, even the Kazekage wasn't stupid enough to not recognize that.

"Obviously not. But I'll tell him in my own time so don't you go blabbering off to him," Kurai said.

Kakashi side-smiled. "I wouldn't dare."

"Good. Now if you'll excuse me," Kurai stood up. Kakashi copied her actions and followed her.

"What are you doing?"

"…"

"…"

"Going to my room?"

Kurai gave him a short smile. "Kakashi, thank you for all you've done. For taking care of Naruto and listening and everything. Truly, I'm grateful.

Kakashi sensed a "but."

"But now, please go home."

Kakashi casually rested his arms on her shoulders. His face might have been covered but his smirk was as perceivable as the sun in a cloudless sky. "You can't expect me to just go home at _this_ late hour? Besides, I was just getting used to living here."

Kurai leaned closer, returning his smug look with one of her own. "You're no child Kakashi and I don't _expect_ it. I intend it." And with that, she shoved him back and resumed climbing up the stairs, ignoring him.

He chuckled. "I'm still staying." She didn't reply back so he just went to his room, his face already absorbed in his little orange book.

— - —

"No…"

"No… please…"

"No!" Kurai shot off her pillow, her hand clutching her shirt over her racing heart. Beads of cold sweat coated her forehead and her eyes searched around the room frantically.

Panic suddenly swelled within her, eyes widening. "Naruto," she whispered as she sprung out of bed, dashing to her nephew's room. Finding him laying in his bed sound asleep, she breathed deeply, rubbing her eyelids. _What's wrong with me?_

"Bad dream?" she heard from behind as she flew around and pinned the intruder to the ground, her eyes growing dark.

"Woah, woah, its just me," Kakashi whispered quickly. Frozen, she blinked a few times before removing herself from on top of him.

"You startled me," she said, out of breath.

"Apparently I did a lot more than that…" he replied, smoothing his shirt. "Are you okay?"

Seeing him scrutinizing her face, she turned away. "Yes, just a bad dream…"

He raised a brow, but didn't probe further.

"Well the sun's about to rise so there's no point going back to sleep," he said, yawning.

She nodded.

"I'll be in my room then." He walked out, leaving her. _Relax_, she told herself. _Just a bad dream._

She went over to Naruto and sat by him. Noticing drool staining the side of his pillow, a giggle escaped her lips, causing him to stir.

One eye peeked open. "…Obasan?"

"Yes, Naruto?"

Both eyes were open now and alert. He sat up and smiled. "You're back!"

Sensing a presence, she spotted red locks of hair spying from behind the door. Her eyes crinkled in amusement. "I am, and there's someone I'd like you to meet."

Naruto tilted his head, "Who?"

"Gaara, would you please come in here?" The small boy froze out of surprise but cautiously took one step through the doorframe, coming into view. Naruto just stared; he'd never seen him before.

"Naruto, you know how I went to Suna right?" she asked. He nodded while analyzing the red haired boy who was quietly doing the same from beneath his lashes. "Well this is Gaara, he came back with me because of…" She hesitated. She hadn't thought of what she would tell Naruto. "…Because of reasons." That was a pathetic explanation but hopefully he wouldn't question her.

"And he'll be staying with us for a while." _As long as nothing goes wrong_.

Naruto had been quiet for a time but then he jumped out of bed, his teeth shining a bright smile. The sudden movement caused Gaara's sand to rise out of its container behind his back and his eyes flickered to Kurai's. She shook her head silently, and he lowered the sand into its jar.

This went unnoticed by Naruto who introduced himself in the meantime. "So what's that?"

"W-what?" Gaara spoke faintly.

Naruto poked at his sand container. "This. What's this?"

Gaara looked at Kurai, unsure of what to say. She stood and put her hands on her shoulders from behind. "Naruto, why don't you go wash up and get ready; Gaara, you too and then come down for breakfast. We can talk some more after that. Plus there is another guest with us that you should know about."

Naruto bounced on his feet, getting hyper. "Who! Who! Who!"

"I'll tell you once you're ready," she said, ushering him to the bathroom. She saw Gaara still standing there. "You too Gaara, go freshen up and come downstairs to the kitchen."

He bit down his lip and nodded, leaving the room.

Smiling to herself, she checked on Sasuke, who was still lying unconscious with no signs of waking up anytime soon. She sighed. Losing family hurts, and suffering alone is even worse. That feeling wasn't unfamiliar to her. At the least he'll have company to keep him preoccupied.

Closing the door, she went downstairs to cook up something for everyone.

— - —

Kurai crammed the dining table with every type of breakfast food there was to be; pancakes, waffles, fried eggs, omelets, hash browns, you name it. She had three clones working along side her so everything was set and ready to be devoured by the time the two boys made it down.

Naruto was animatedly chatting with Gaara when they strolled into the dining area. The pale boy quietly listened to everything Naruto rambled on about with a new form of interest. Things worked in his favor since the blond didn't require talking on his part and so he didn't have to say anything.

"Naru, sweetheart, tell me what's Kakashi been feeding you while I was gone?" Kurai casually inquired while the boys seated themselves.

Said boy beamed at the woman and yelled, "Ramen!" to which he got smacked on the head by Kakashi who just made his appearance.

"Don't lie." Naruto stuck his tongue out at him.

"Ramen?"

Kakashi sat at the head of the table, filling his plate with pancakes. "Don't you believe a word he says Kurai, I gave him exactly what he needed." His eyes glimmered wickedly triggering Naruto to send a dirty look his way.

Examining Naruto head to toe, she accepted his answer. The boy did look much healthier. "I'll take your word for it this time."

She switched to Gaara; the boy was so thin honestly. It felt as if the slightest breeze would blow him away. He had half an omelet on his plate and was soundlessly finishing it while appraising his surroundings with innocent eyes. Kurai gently took hold of Gaara's arm, careful not to startle him. "Gaara, the same goes for you. If you want to grow strong, eat up." She nudged the different food items towards him, motioning him to take more.

He hesitated at first but then piled his plate with waffles and more omelet. Kurai noticed Kakashi warily glancing at the boy every so often and then at his sand dune resting on the floor beside him. She shrugged to herself; Kakashi was just going to have to get used to this arrangement, whether he liked it or not.

"Obasan, who's be otha guesth?" Naruto asked with a full mouth. Kurai's eyes briefly met Kakashi's.

"I'll tell you after breakfast."

Naruto swallowed. "But you said after I got ready—"

"After breakfast Naruto," she said firmly.

Naruto scrunched his nose and resumed eating. "Fine…"

— - —

It was dark.

And something was off.

It was far too quiet.

Too quiet…

His pace increased with every passing second until he realized he was running.

Something was very wrong.

He felt the panic course through his body.

"Otosan," he whispered with dread. "Okasan…"

_Run. Run faster._

He slammed open the door.

Blood.

Blood was everywhere.

So much blood.

"OKASAN!" he cried.

His eyes grew blurry from tears.

The sky above him drew near.

Red. So much red.

He couldn't take it anymore.

He looked up to the sky and caught sight of two glowing circles.

Two red ghostly halos lighting up the sinful blackness.

It was suffocating…

_It isn't real._

He couldn't breath…

_IT ISN"T REAL!_

Sasuke's eyes shot open.

Red. So red.

He screamed.

* * *

><p><em><strong>EEEEEEK.<strong>_** I think that's how the scream should sound... lol.**

**Gosh I just want all these character introductions to end. Its time to see some character interaction. Right? Right?**

**Next chapter y'all! There'll be loadz of em. **

**So what did you think though? Kurai's bad dream? Sasuke finally waking up? **

**Btw, you guys have no idea how hard it is to keep everyone in character. Like honestly, its so hard to figure out how Gaara or Sasuke will act when they aren't living loner lives. No offense to them, I love em both.**

**WELL PLEASE LEAVE A REVIEW MY YOUTHFUL READERS! May your youth blossom to blinding levels if you do!**

**Till next time, Ja Ne!**


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